Digimon Continuity: Quest for the Digimon
by Vylantze
Summary: Follows abrupt ending of Digimon Tamers. The Tamers have to return to the Digital Plane to find their Digimon. They meet some trouble along the way. The Digimon appear to have turned against them. Who is the Saviour? What power does he wield? Who is he?
1. Portal To Digital World

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Digimon, but I do own the plot, and DRAGOON.

* * *

_**Digimon Continuity**_

**Quest for the Digimon  
**

Chapter 1

_Portal to Digital World  
_

* * *

_**:.**_** Real World - Japan, Tokyo, Shinjuku Central Park  
**

**01:03 PM JST**

Takato was on his way home from school as usual. Taking a detour through the park out of habit, his mind wondered on recent events, and of course, Guilmon. His thoughts drifted to his friends. Kazu and Kenta were most likely playing the Card Game right now. Last time he saw them, they weren't that enthusiastic anymore. They, like him, were mourning over the loss of their Digimon.

They have, of course, forgiven Henry's dad for what he had done. But that didn't change the fact that losing their Digimon was a great blow to them. The only thing that kept them going was the faint hope of seeing their Digimon again, and that the Monster Makers were trying to find a way to bring them back, or at least Takato wanted to think that way.

_It seems only Ryo's not upset about it._ Takato thought.

He had happily reassured them that they will see their Digimon again… only to have Rika return to Ice Queen Mode and turn the world upside down.

As Takato kept on the familiar route through the park, memories came back to torture him. Happy ones, sad ones… so many of them occurred in this very park. He soon passed the first place he met Rika… and she attacked him.

_Speaking of which, Rika had returned to being a loner with no friends once again. Its sad really. __No one bother_ing_ to attempt to make her sociable again_, Takato thought. _Unless you count Ryo_ He added. _At least I still ha_ve _Jeri trying to cheer me up_. _She's been real nice. Maybe she actually likes me..._ At this, he blushed crimson red. _Only_ _Ryo's brave enough to try… or stupid enough._

Ryo's confidence was contagious. Thanks to him, everyone managed to keep their hopes up. It helped that he was always around, somehow. Rika was a different story however. He himself had seen the results of Ryo's efforts to cheer her up, which was… not very pleasant. _Only Kazu and Kenta d_on_'t seem to think _ the _Ryo has __finally lost it. _Rika must be hitting him too hard. Even they agree on that.

Now he passed the place where Guilmon used to play with Calumon, the Catalyst.

God I miss the good old days. The times when it would just be me and Guilmon kicking Digibutt. Hey, Digibutt… I have to write that one down. He thought about how Guilmon would react to his new word.

Most likely ask me what it is… and request for more bread at it.

Now he came to a stop. Looking up, he saw well hidden within the trees, Guilmon's old hideout. Thinking about the bread eater's reaction to his presence made his eyes water. Suddenly, he heard a sound coming from the hideout.

_Maybe Guilmon's come back……Nah who am I kidding._

He was just about to walk away when the sound came again. This time, he was sure it came from the hideout.

Guess it won't hurt to check. He did not even complete that thought before he raced up the steps to the hideout, hope shining in his heart.

Upon reaching there, he did not find Guilmon, but he found the next best thing… a portal to the Digital World.

* * *

**This is my first fic, don't blame me if I start out bad. But I assure you the plot will get better, with a few twists and turns. Won't reveal the coupling until relevant chapters are up... though it is obvious enough... for now...  
**


	2. The Secret

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Digimon, but I do own the plot, and DRAGOON.

* * *

_**Digimon Continuity**_

**Quest for the Digimon  
**

Chapter 2

_The Secret_

* * *

_**:.**_** Real World - Japan, Tokyo, Shinjuku Central Park  
Guilmon's Hideout  
**

**01:09 PM JST**

_So that's what I heard. It must be the static coming from the portal…_

"WHAT AM I TALKING ABOUT!? THIS IS A PORTAL TO THE DIGITAL WORLD! GUILMON CAN COME BACK AGAIN!!" Takato screamed out loud.

He suddenly blushed at his outburst and peeped outside the hideout. Noticing that no one was alerted by the shout, as there was no one at all, he heaved a sigh. Then he thought about what to do next.

_All right, Takato, calm down. Take deep breaths and calm down._ With that, he breathed in deeply and let it all out.

Satisfied, he pondered his next action. "Okay. I found a portal, now what do I do?" Remembering the last time he prepared for a trip to the Digiworld, he instantly knew what to do.

"I know! I'll call Henry, then Kazu and Kenta. Oh ya, I mustn't forget Rika. And Ryo too. And the twins…" he continued to tick his fellow Tamer's names off his fingers. All the while reaching for his cellphone, given to him by Yamaki a few days after their Digimon left so that he could contact all of them in a moment's notice. Takato was never so grateful for one right now.

Just as he was about to dial the first number, he heard a familiar voice. "Not so fast kid."

Turning to the shadow that had so suddenly loomed behind him, he gasped and dropped his phone.

* * *

_**:.**_** Real World - Japan, Tokyo, Shinjuku  
**

**01:15 PM JST**

Ryo continued his usual routine to Rika's house. He knew the outcome of it, probably some more bruises to add to his already large collection. He knew he had to be the one to attempt to cheer everyone up. Especially Rika, who was the moodiest one of all of them. It helped that he was in the same class as most of the other tamers.

_I have experienced this before, it's only right that I help them when no one helped me…_ Ryo then recalled some of his old friends._ Taichi, Agumon, Daisuke, Veemon, Ken, Wormmon… I'm sure you would do the same, right? I really wish you were here now. Well, you already knew what to do. Man I really wish that the others actually took some advice from the show. _

_But I know for sure that our Digimon will come back, one way or another. There are always more evil Digimon or something somewhere. They'll come back because that's the way it's supposed to work. We have to be the ones to defeat the bad guys._

At that moment, if anyone looked at Ryo, he would seem to look not like a fourteen year old teenager, but an old man who has seen too many horrible things.

Finally, he reached his destination. He braced himself and pushed through the door, greeted by Rika's grandmother.

* * *

_**:.**_** Real World - Japan, Tokyo, Shinjuku Central Park  
Guilmon's Hideout  
**

**01:13 PM JST**

Takato gasped at the sight of the familiar blonde man in black shades as his phone clattered on the ground.

"Ya-Ya-Yamaki!" he managed to stammer.

The said man merely inclined his head to look into his face, and replied apologetically, "Sorry Takato. But I can't let you call anyone…"

Before Yamaki could even finish, Takato's head pieced everything together.

"You knew!? You knew of the PORTAL!?" he said in an accusing voice that held his rage.

Noticing the boy who he rarely knew to be angry, he decided thread cautiously. And he had best start with the truth. "Yes Takato, I knew of the portal." He said in a calm voice that hid his growing anxiety.

Then, like any typical person who wore goggles, he changed gears instantly, rage and accusation turning to confusion and sadness. "Why? Why Yamaki? How long have you known? Why didn't you tell us?"

Relieved by the tone of Takato's voice, he continued, "I'm sorry, Takato. I really am. But it can't be helped."

"What can't be helped Yamaki!?" Takato said, his anger returning.

_This is getting nowhere. This little talk must head my way._

"TAKATO! Snap out of it! Did you actually think that I will withhold such an important thing from you and the others!?"

Takato was once again stunned. Yamaki had never been this angry with him before, even when he was 'warning' he and Henry from the Digimon.

Seeing his anger had overshadowed Takato's and left the boy dumb, he calmed down. "Alright Takato, come with me, I'll try my best to explain everything."

Takato made to follow, but stopped short and picked up his phone. "What about the others? Can I tell them?"

He shook his head, both to his amazement to Takato's strange mood changes and his answer to his question. "Takato, we have to keep this secret for now." Seeing the said boy about to explode or who knows what again, he hastily continued. "The others will know later, when the time is right. After we work out all the bugs. Takato, please believe me, we have a very good reason for this."

"Alright Yamaki, I trust you. But this better be good, or I don't care what you do, I will go to the Digital World and get the Digimon myself if I have to," he said with a seriousness much like that he had done during the D-Reaper crisis, convincing Yamaki that he wasn't joking.

* * *

_**:.**_** Real World - Japan, Tokyo, Shinjuku  
Nonaka Residence  
**

**01:22 PM JST**

"Oh hello Ryo. Nice to see you again. Rika is in her room as usual. Do you want something to drink?"

Ryo politely declined the offer, and made his way to Rika's room. She was so depressed at losing her closest friend and partner that she only went out of her room for school and meals. Even him visiting her did not make her waver.

Once outside the room, he tried the door. Locked. A frown appeared on his face. He then just leaned on the door and slid to the floor. Phase Two: Annoy her until she comes out.

That part was actually successful…in a way. She would always reach to the end of her patience, and proceed to yell at him. That was the only time she would actually talk at all, and the only time she would actually respond. It was also the only way for Ryo to know she was inside and alive at all.

He quickly pushed that thought from his mind.

_Well, I'm sure glad Renamon going did not affect her too much. She still has it in her to yell at me, or hit me._

Rika does hit him, that's where it gets a little complicated. She would yank the door open, hit him with a stick of some sort, and shut it in his face (or in some cases, on his fingers while they were attempting to force the door open), resulting in a few interesting injuries that left Takato and the others discouraging him from helping the 'mad girl'.

_Tonight is definitely going to be interesting._

* * *

**Well, sorry for the delay to those expecting the next chapter. This chapter basically tells you that good old Hypnos knows about the portal, and elaborates a little on Ryo going… off. I mean, no idiot would purposely incur the wrath of Rika Nonaka right?**

**Thanks to those who reviewed. It really helped. Hope that you will continue to do so.**


	3. Ryo's Spying?

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Digimon, but I do own the plot, and DRAGOON.

* * *

_**Digimon Continuity**_

**Quest for the Digimon  
**

Chapter 3

_Ryo's Spying?  
_

* * *

_**:.**_** Real World - Japan, Tokyo, Shinjuku  
**

**01:26 PM JST**

"All right, Takato." Yamaki continued to lead the way back to the Tokyo Metropolitan Towers, or better known to Takato as Hypnos Towers.

Takato felt extremely uncomfortable about this, such that he was sure it was written all over his face. Still, he sincerely hoped that he was doing the right thing. He was never one to keep secrets from his friends, that included Guilmon._ No matter how hard I try, I'm not able to keep secrets. Even worse, I actually want to reveal this 'secret'._ Takato felt the sudden urge to reach for his phone and call Henry. However, he resisted the impulse, reasoning with himself. _I just listen to what Yamaki and Henry's dad have got to say, then I'll decide...Besides, Yamaki has my phone, so I can't do anything about it. _He had no doubt Yamaki would be triumphant in a fight for the electronic object.

They were passing through the streets now, the twin towers dead ahead.

* * *

_**:.**_** Real World - Japan, Tokyo, Shinjuku  
Nonaka Residence  
**

**01:24 PM JST**

Ryo was about to set to work when he heard a voice.

_Definitely not Rika's...  
_

It took a few seconds before his brain finally clicked. _That voice... sweet, caring... Jeri. _He finally concluded. _God. I'm starting to sound like Takato on a love faze. Must be all the influence... That Takato, still as influential as ever...Great, now my vocabulary is degrading. Note: Don't stay around Takato for too long...Speaking of which..._

Ryo pressed his ear to the door, hoping to listen in on the conversation.

"Rika, come on." Jeri's voice said. "Come out for some fresh air, even a walk will do you good."

"Jeri, please stop it. I'd rather have Akiyama doing that so that I can at least wack him for it."

_Gee, so much for trying to help her, Jeri's only been here once and she's already inside. Me, I become the instrument for her frustrations. Thanks a whole lot, Rika. _Ryo thought.

"I...just...want to know how the others are doing." Rika said cautiously.

Ryo practically felt Jeri freeze up.

After a few uncomfortable minutes, Jeri finally spoke.

"Why...didn't you just ask Ryo?" She whispered so softly that he had to strain his ears to hear her.

"What!? No one in their right mind would ask Akiyama anything! Besides, he's not even in the same school, I doubt he even knows the teacher's name!"

"Rika, that just shows how much you don't know."

"Wh-what are you talking about?"

Jeri took a deep breath, in preparation for perhaps a long explanation.

"Rika, Ryo is in the same school as us..."

"What?! You're joking right? How can Akiyama be in the same _elementary_ school? He's 14 for god's sake!"

"Rika, hear me out. Ryo is not only in the same school, but he is also in the same class as us as well..."

Jeri drifted off. Another few seconds of silence passed. Ryo began to wander what was wrong when the answer came in a fit of suppressed giggles. _That's not right, why would Jeri be laughing at a time like this. This is supposed to be serious. _He started shaking his head, thinking the situation was entirely hopeless.

_Wait..._ he listened again. The laughter had gotten louder and louder when Ryo finally realized. _That's...That's not Jeri, it's... Rika._

Rika's laughter kept on going louder and louder. He was awed and confused by it. Awed that Rika could laugh so... beautifully, confused at why she was laughing at all.

His ears picked up Jeri's voice again, as confused as he was.

"Did...I say something wrong?"

He didn't blame her for being cautious. If Rika for any reason laughed like this at all, either she had gone insane, or hell had just frozen over. Neither would be appealing. State this to a mad or a normal Rika for that matter would definitely earn you a spot there.

Her laughter slowly died down, as if she was enjoying every bit of it. Finally Ryo heard a deep breath being taken, and Rika finally spoke.

"No..." She giggled... like an actual normal girl. "...it's not you. Can you believe it, Ryo is 14 and he is still in Grade 4!"

The boy in question's heart sank. This was something that Rika would use on him for ages ahead.

"Oh," was all Jeri had to say.

"But you can't blame him, he was in the Digital World for months." Ryo was suddenly grateful for a friend like her.

"Months Jeri, months, not years," was Rika's sarcastic reply to that statement.

"But according to..." Jeri continued to let linger, that statement no doubt her next statement would give Rika more leverage against him. He felt gratefulness surge through him again, happy she didn't reveal the whole truth...yet.

"But what Jeri, he may rock at Taming and the game, but what does that matter if there is no Digimon to tame and..." They finally hit the topic of the Digimon's return to the Digital World, and the source of Rika's current attitude.

Luckily, Jeri had enough tact to veer away from the subject and back to the main purpose of the conversation.

"See, that is why you shouldn't stay cropped up in here all the time, Rika"

Ryo could hear the relief in her voice when she answered. "Stop it Jeri, there's is no way I'm going anywhere."

"Come on, Rika. You know..."

"Just stop Jeri...please. I asked you here so that I have someone to talk to other than Akiyama all the time..."

_Oh great, so she was invited?! Just great...I am just the topic of conversation. And she doesn't even talk to me.  
_

"Speaking of which, he should be here by now... in fact..."

Ryo tensed and slowly eased away from the door, only to find his leg numb. _Great. Of all the times to choose to sit on my leg, I had to pick now... of all d..._

Ryo stopped thinking. Because at that moment, the door slid open forcefully, revealing a smirking Rika. _Oh crap._ He tried to back away, instead falling painfully and disgracefully on his butt.

"Well, well, well. Look what the Akiyama's stupidity dragged in, an Akiyama on his butt."

"Ahm...Hello?"

"No Akiyama, not hello. But... WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE TRYING TO DO?!"

"Ahm...Nothing." he said as innocently as he could.

"If I didn't know better, I would say you were trying to spy on me. Then again, with a brain like yours, I doubt you even know what spying is."

He was so shocked by the sudden turn of events that he could no come up with a comeback.

"Ahmmmmm..." he continued dumbly.

"Dumbstruck, are we? Fits the brain."

_That's it! That was the last stra..._

At that exact moment, Ryo's phone rang.

* * *

**Not much in this chapter, just trying to build the foundations for the main story.**

**If you don't like this chapter, don't blame me. This chapter explains a few things though. One, I am using the Japanese version, but the dub names. Two, Ryo is stuck in Grade 4 (ten year old education for those who don't know) not because of the DigiWorld incident, but something else as well. It will prove important in later chapters.**

**Please review, it helps to motivate me. **


	4. Problems & DRAGOON

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Digimon, but I do own the plot, and DRAGOON.

* * *

_**Digimon Continuity**_

**Quest for the Digimon  
**

Chapter 4

_Problems & DRAGOON_

* * *

_**:.**_** Real World - Japan, Tokyo, Tokyo Metropolitan Towers  
Main Control Room  
**

**01:27 PM JST**

Takato looked around, taking in the interiors of the still quite barren Hypnos Tower. It was pretty much the same, only that wires ran all over the place and that the only very few computers that were up were occupied by busy Monster Makers. There was a time when he would have wondered what they were doing. Unfortunately, his patience was running thin. The long walk from the park did not help either.

Ahead, the only free Monster Maker was waiting, looking definitely more nervous than he had ever seen him before. Janyu Wong quickly approached the coming duo, obviously not eager to wait for them.

Takato's mouth shot open before he could stop it. "Mr Wong, why are you doing this? You guys found a portal and you never even told us. You should have at least told Henry!"

Janyu stopped in his tracks. Perhaps it was the lack of anger in Takato's voice, or perhaps it was the sudden, dangerous silence that befell the room after Takato spoke. The other Monster Makers have also stopped their work, and turned to look at the three, shocked.

"Answer me!" Takato shouted, the very sound echoing on the empty walls that made it more threatening than it actually was.

Yamaki placed a hand on Takato's shoulder, to restrain him if need be, and took the initiative, "Takato, stop putting stress on him, he has enough as it is."

The boy turned on him, and Yamaki took a step back. The look in his eyes terrifying to the extreme. They said pure murder. If Yamaki had any of his wits at that time, he might have compared it to the accounts the other Tamers told him about Guilmon's transformation to Megidramon, and said that their accounts did not do Takato's fury justice.

Now Janyu, upon having the death glare turned away from him, spoke up. "We're really sorry Takato, but we just couldn't tell you. If we did, you could rush to the portal like bears on honey without listening to what we have to say."

Takato turned back to him, but Janyu kept going on regardless. "Takato, I speak as a parent when I say that I don't want you to be in danger."

Takato blinked, and confusion came to his face. "What do you mean in danger? We have gone though the Digital World before, and we came back safely, right?"

Janyu looked to his fellow Monster Makers, who caught his message and resumed their work. With Takato now here, the other Tamers were bound to follow. Then he replied, "Takato, things are different now."

"How?!"

"The last time you had your Digimon with you to protect you, right now, you don't. So how are you going to protect yourself? With the stuff I've seen Guilmon and Terriermon do, I don't think that you can just take a stick and start hitting, can you?"

Takato fell silent. The mentioning of his Digimon once again brought back a flood of memories. He quickly shook his head, trying to snap out of it. That did not however, stop tears from flowing. He diverted his face from Janyu's view. But he already saw the tears.

"I'm sorry Takato, I didn't mean to mention Guilmon," he quickly apologised, looking to the silent Yamaki for help. When none came, he went on, "But I had to emphasize the point. You just couldn't go to the Digital World without protection. Think of it this way, if you... well... die in the Digital World before reaching your Digimon, both of you will never meet ever again..."

He need not go on. Because both were thinking of Jeri, what happened after Leomon's death. The result was the D-Reaper using her. Who knew what the Digimon would do if they went through the same thing.

Takato wiped away his tears, took a deep breath, and faced both men. "So, what have you been doing?"

Yamaki shook his head. It was truly amazing how Takato went for sad to determined in the space of a few seconds.

"Well, we have devised a way to protect you guys... in fact, we are working on it right now." Janyu continued.

Now Yamaki took over. "You remember Grani, yes?"

Takato nodded._ It is hard to forget Grani after all it... no he had done...even if I wanted to. He gave me and Guilmon the power to save Jeri from the D-Reaper._

"Well, we have decided to create another one."

Takato kept on nodding his head, mind still in the memories of being Guilmon Mega form, until it registered what Yamaki just said.

"WHAT!" he exclaimed.

"Well Takato, after the success Grani had, we thought it be best we designed another one, this one being capable of more offensive abilities, greater agility, and having a more sophisticated CPU, allowing it to analyse the situation and determine the best solution to it, giving it more advantages compared to its predecessor."

Takato did not understand most of what the older man just said, but all he needed to know was one thing... _Grani is going to be replaced._ "No way! I am not letting Grani's place be taken over by another one. There is no way I am going to allow this. No way!"

Once again, Takato's outburst had alerted the whole room and all eyes were on them once again.

"Takato," Janyu continued, the true toll of his exhaustion could be heard now, "We're not going to replace Grani. It has done too much, bringing you home from the Digital World, helping you and the others fight the D-Reaper, and sacrificing itself to give you your newfound power. But we can't bring it back. I'm sure Grani would have wanted to be the one to be with you on this... journey. That's why we wouldn't be replacing him. That's why there wouldn't be a Grani 2. He will always be in our hearts. What we are hoping to do is just to have the new DRAGOON become the next in line, like the son of Grani."

"..." Takato could think of nothing to say to that speech. He was half-expecting an audience to start applauding. Still, he managed a "DRAGOON?"

Janyu nodded. Yamaki spoke this time. "DRAGOON stands for **D**igital **R**econ(naissance), **A**ssault, **G**athering and **O**ptional **O**bservation **N**etwork system unit."

"So... where is he?" Takato asked looking left and right as if the machine would hover out of a shadow in the room.

"Well, see... that's the reason why only you are here." Takato's ears perked up. "we're still waiting for him to materialize."

Seeing the still confused Takato, Yamaki instead said, "We're waiting for him to appear in the Digital World so that he can Bioemerge into this world."

"Then why is he taking so long? Shouldn't he be here by now, I mean, Grani only took a few days..."

"Takato, it's not that simple. Grani at that time was only the Ark. At that time, its design was not simpler. We also designed him at that time so that he would be produced as quickly as possible as we had little time. Even as the Ark, it took us four days to design and the processing power of the entire world before he could materialize. Grani became what he was only after he got some of our last minute modifications. Although the DRAGOON now has Grani's old designs as a template, its current design took another week of work before we could be sure it was the best protector. Throw that in with our busy lives, it was amazing that we managed it at all."

"All the more why you should have told us, that way, you could work without secrecy and completed DRAGOON much faster."

"Takato, we already told you why we didn't. Think of what you yourself would have done. A few minutes ago you wouldn't even listen to us, you only thought us as delaying your time. If all the tamers came along, you would overpower us and just go on anyway. By then, not even DRAGOON's enhanced sensors would find you in time to save you from the inevitable."

"Ryo or Henry would know, they would have thought about this."

"Takato, I've watched Henry grow up since he was a baby. I would know him better than you. Listen to me when I tell you Henry is desperate. He would not think this when faced with going straight to the Digital World and finding Terriermon. I don't know about Ryo, although I have heard some very nice things about him from Henry himself, I think that his optimism is faked. Different people have different ways of dealing with things. He probably adopted this attitude because of his time in the Digital World and that has made him hide his feelings just like Rika. Maybe his time in the Digital World also made him think of this, but I'd rather not take the risk with my own son."

Takato sighed. It was clear he had lost this argument. But he was definitely not leaving until he got as many answers as he could.

"Alright then... so, DRAGOON can't take that long, how long more?"

"Takato, you have to understand our situation." Janyu was on the verge of collapse now. Takato probably wouldn't understand what he was about to hear, but he said it anyway. "Now, we don't have the whole world's computers at our disposal. Hypno's servers are still down, we barely managed to reinhabit this building again."

_That's true, Mom and Dad said that a lot of people didn't dare return to their homes or shops because they were afraid that some part of D-Reaper was still out there._

"Besides, DRAGOON's current designs would require a lot more time now, and that was assuming we still had the processing power. To make it worse, some of the sponsors for Hypnos have withdrawn. That means we just don't have the money to repair the servers. The people you see here came entirely of their own free will. They are not getting paid Takato. They are paying for us with their own outside jobs."

"So what's stopping you from doing... well... whatever you did to get the world's help?"

"We can't just email everyone to help out again!"

"Why not?" Takato asked in a way that made Guilmon quite to young and innocent dino he is.

"We... The world is still recovering from the incident. If we issue a help email now, the world will go into panic."

"What if I don't care?!"

"Then we might as well have just told you guys anyway, you would receive the email too."

Takato fell silent, taking in all he had learnt. _When I first found the portal, I was jumping to tell the others and get inside. Now... now I'm not so sure._

"But, I think the others deserve to know."

"What about..."

"Mr Wong, I'm sure that even if they don't listen to you, they would listen to me. I know Ryo will understand and help me convince the others as well."

Yamaki finally removed his sunglasses, and looked at the goggled boy in the eye. "Takato, can you assure me that none of them who ignore you and go to the portal anyway? Can you assure me that they will listen to you even?"

Takato challenged Yamaki's glare with one of his own. Though it didn't match one of Rika's, it was quite enough to put his point across. "Yes Yamaki, I can."

Yamaki's eyes softened and he replaced his glasses. "So Takato, how do you plan to do it?"

Takato smiled a genuine smile, something he hadn't done since Guilmon's departure. "I've something in mind..."

* * *

**CLIFFHANGER!!**

**Lots of free time equals... quick chapter!**

**Longest I've written so far... so far. Explains quite a lot too. I hope this makes up for my earlier not-so-good chapters.**

**So, a new Zero-arms is coming out. How do you like the name, not bad huh? I plan on having my profile modified for explanations on the terms I use.**

** I know you guys are just reading and going. Please help a little. If any ideas come out in my reviews, I will try to add it in. **

**PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW!! **


	5. Henry's Discovery

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Digimon, but I do own the plot, and DRAGOON.

* * *

_**Digimon Continuity**_

**Quest for the Digimon  
**

Chapter 5

_Henry's Discovery_

* * *

_**:.**_** Real World - Japan, Tokyo, Shinjuku  
Nonaka Residence  
**

**01:28 PM JST**

Ryo's phone rang just as Rika approached him. She stopped in her tracks, smirk fading away to be replaced by one of disgust. Obviously whoever who was on the other end was going to have a visit from Rika sometime... soon, maybe? Unless that person had a very good reason.

_Saved by the bell... or in this case, the phone._

"Alright Akiyama, you got 5 seconds to convince whoever on the other end to shut it until I'm over."

Ryo merely gulped. No one ever called him. This person had to have an emergency or something. Either way, he was in a tight spot. But instead of just sitting there, his hands moved to his phone and drew it out. All eyes were on him. The phone just kept ringing, oblivious to the tense atmosphere.

He pressed the call button with exaggerated slowness, never keeping his eyes off Rika in case she did anything. Once he placed the phone to his ear, his eardrums exploded with so much sound that he yelped.

"Ryo! Are you there?! You won't believe it!!"

"Errr... Henry, I'm gonna have to get back to you... I'm kinda busy at the moment..."

"Then whatever you are doing can wait..."

_I doubt it..._

"...because you have to get here right NOW!!"

Ryo pulled the phone from his ear. Whatever Henry was talking about, he was sure loud about it.

"Why?"

"Don't why me. Get here right now!!"

"Not until I get the full story."

He was attracting looks from the two girls. Rika was holding her fist up not so reassuringly.

"RYO! WE DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THIS! GET HERE RIGHT NOW!!"

"No Henry, in fact, I'm hanging up now."

"Noooo... Wait..." he heard a loud breath being taken, before hearing Henry's voice again, this time calm but not without excitement. "Alright, it all started with me deciding to call Takato to try and..."

Now Rika was definitely not happy, "Err... Henry, I _really_ don't have time for this."

Unfortunately, Henry was not listening, nor understanding the seriousness of the situation. "... convince Rika together to get out. But I couldn't reach him, so I thought he was back at the hideout..."

That caught Ryo's interest. _Takato is at the hideout? Guilmon's hideout? That's not right. What could have made him go there?_

Rika finally to take things into her own hands. She towered over the spike haired boy, and snatched the phone from him. To her utter surprise, and that of Jeri's, Ryo yanked it back from her moments after she did. He did not even seem to realize he did, or that the phone was ever separated from him at all.

"Henry, just get to the point."

"... I found a portal, Ryo."

The latter stood up so fast, the still shocked Rika was thrown to the ground. Before she could react, she heard the magic words that made her forget all else.

"A PORTAL!"

"Yes, yes... I found a portal at Guilmon's old hideout!" Henry gave up on concealing his joy.

"Why didn't you say so earlier?!"

"I tried, but you wouldn't let me."

He took about a second to consider this. "Alright Henry, you get the others over there, I've Jeri and Rika with me right now. I'm coming over."

Henry simply forgot to ask why both Jeri and Rika were with him. "Done."

* * *

_**:.**_** Real World - Japan, Tokyo, Shinjuku  
Nonaka Residence  
**

**01:30 PM JST**

Rika still sat on the floor, barely listening as Ryo continued his conversation with Henry.

She was completely lost, her anger and joy were contrasting each other so evenly that she didn't even know which she was feeling. _Henry... found... a portal?_ Her mind was still considering whether it was fact or fiction when she heard Ryo's voice. _It's all... serious. Since when has he been serious?_

An arm went around her shoulder. She need not look to know that it was Jeri trying to comfort her. _Even during our battle with the D-Reaper, he was still joking around. Like it was just something he did everyday._ She mentally slapped herself. _Of course it was something he did everyday, he was stuck in the Digital World for a whole year, with no one but that overgrown dragon to talk to._

She looked to Jeri. _It's so sad. Jeri lost Leomon... forever. How could I have been so selfish like this?_

"I'm sorry." came out before she could stop it. Jeri's smile wavered for a moment, before she understood and shrugged it off.

"Don't worry about me Rika, you just get to Renamon as soon as possible."

A few tears fell from her eyes... however, Ryo spoke.

"Am I interrupting anything?" he asked.

Rika immediately flared, partly because of him being one of the only two (at least to her knowledge) who knew the location of the portal. "Of course you are Akiyama! When are you going to learn some tact and get with the program!"

"So... I take it you want to keep crying and _not_ know the location of the portal?"

Rika's mouth fell. The only things stopping her from punching Ryo's lights out was 1) Jeri, 2)She CRIED?!

Almost as if she said it out loud, "Yes Rika, you are crying. I won't blame you, the others are probably doing the same."

"Errr..." she managed, sounding and acting exactly like Ryo had only moments ago.

Jeri helped Rika in her silence. "Ryo!" she said reproachfully. "Stop it. Just tell us where the portal is."

Rika could not have been more grateful. "Alright... it's at..."

Ryo's phone started ringing again.

* * *

** Another cliffhanger.**

**This complicates things quite a bit. What will the Tamers do? What happens next?**

**Please also visit my profile page.**


	6. Flaw in the Plan

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Digimon, but I do own the plot, and DRAGOON.

* * *

_**Digimon Continuity**_

**Quest for the Digimon  
**

Chapter 6

_Flaw in the Plan_

* * *

_**:.**_** Real World - Japan, Tokyo, Shinjuku Central Park  
Guilmon's Hideout**

**01:30 PM JST**

Henry leaned against the wall of the hideout. He just called Kazu and Kenta. Their reaction was quite similar to Ryo's. He had also called Suzie and Ai and Mako as well. As much as he didn't like for them to come, they deserved to know. His mind soon drifted to reuniting with the green dog-bunny.

He heard the static of the portal. A bead of sweat fell from his forehead. _No... I must wait for the others first..._ But the static was too enticing. He spared a glance at the portal. _Just a while more...  
_

* * *

_**:.**_** Real World - Japan, Tokyo, Shinjuku  
Nonaka Residence  
**

**01:32 PM JST**

Ryo's phone rang the second time that day. Rika frowned. His phone always seemed to ring at the most important moments. Ryo answered the phone.

"Hello?"

"Ryo. It's Takato."

"TAKATO!" Both girls looked at him again. Jeri looking more interested.

"...Ow. You don't have to yell Ryo, I have something to tell you."

"That can wait. Do you know that Henry has been trying to contact you for ages?! Where are you anyway?"

"What?! One second." Ryo heard the phone being pulled away from the ear, and several buttons being pressed. "Oh. I never noticed. Why would Henry want to call me?" Takato sounded suspicious.

"Never mind. It's just..." He heard the tone of another person calling him again. "Hold on Takato. I got another in coming call."

He pressed the call button again and the call swapped. "Hello."

"Ryo!" came Kazu's voice. "Did you hear? Henry found a portal to the Digital World!"

_Wow. I never realized Kazu could be so direct. Lucky Henry was the one that found it._

"Yes Kazu I know. I'll meet you and the others at the hideout." he said in an exasperated tone.

"Alright Ryo! I can't wait to see Guardromon again. This is going to be great!"

"Umm Kazu, I'll talk to you later. I'm kinda..." he never managed to finish... because an impatient Rika pulled the phone from him, and stepped back from arm's length. Ryo found this strange: Rika never backed away from anything... ever.

"Kazu, tell me where the portal is or you will suffer the worst torture ever created in Man and Digital kind!"

"Waaa... ... Hello Rika..." his voice had gone from all excited, to shocked and frightened.

"Don't you 'hello' me Dummy." Ryo shook his head. Rika was a hopeless case with her nicknames.

"Umm... what are you doing with Ryo?"

Rika's face went red. But it came and went so fast Ryo thought it was a trick of the light of the setting sun. "WHAT! How dare you imply something as ridiculous as that!"

She could hear him smirking on the other end. "I didn't imply anything Rika. It's you yourself." Any mercy she had at that time would have been vaporized by her anger.

"KAZU." she stated each word with a dangerous calm. "YOU TELL ME WHERE THE PORTAL IS, OR I WILL PERSONALLY RIP YOU APART PIECE BY PIECE."

"Errrrr. Why don't you ask Ryo, bye!" And Rika was left with hearing tones until...

"Hey Ryo. What's taking you so long? I tried to reach Henry, but he isn't answering. I keep getting the message box. What's going on Ryo?"

Rika smirked again. Ryo narrowed his eyes. _Kazu's in the deep now._

"Oh hello." Ryo was now confused. _Since when did she_ ever_ acknowledge Kazu?_

"Rika? Er. This is Ryo's phone, right?"

"Oh. Don't worry about it. Just tell me where the portal is Gogglehead!" _Damn. I forgot Takato... Poor him. He doesn't know about the portal. _

* * *

_**:.**_** Real World - Japan, Tokyo, Tokyo Metropolitan Towers  
Main Control Room  
**

**01:32 PM JST**

That completely froze Takato. _Rika...knows? That's... impossible._ Everyone heard as well because his phone was connected to the recorder and small speaker.

"Hey Gogglehead! You still there?" Then he heard Ryo's voice.

"Rika! Takato doesn't know about the portal, yet!" _Ryo too?!_

"You're lying, Akiyama."

"Why would I lie, Rika? I was just about to tell you where it was."

"Yeah right. So, where is it?"

"It's where everyone's gonna be Rika..."

"Akiyama, get to the point!"

"It's at Guilmon's old hideout."

But by this time, he heard some shuffling; the phone was exchanging hands. "Hello, Takato, are you still there?" came Jeri's concerned voice.

Takato could have died from a heart attack there and then. _Even Jeri knows! Am I the only one who doesn't?_

"Erm. Ye-ah. I-I'm still here." he said frailly.

"Sorry Takato." she truly sounded sorry, and he heard some relieve as well. "Henry was supposed to be the one to tell you this. We will meet you at the hideout, okay?"

"Yeah...sure...meet you there."

"Bye." she said softly.

Takato stayed in the same position, at a loss for what to do. The tones signaling the end of the call echoed through his mind. As did Jeri's last words... 'We will meet you at the hideout'_... Wait... we? That means... _'Henry was supposed to tell you this'_... Henry knows as well... everyone knows._

He felt a hand on his shoulder. Takato looked up as Yamaki smiled, hoping to reassure him.

"We have to go Mr Wong. The kids know. We have to make sure that they don't do anything rash."

Janyu snapped out of his trance-like state. "Oh. Alright. We can take my car."

Takato glanced toward the other Monster Makers. They seemed to have been distracted by the conversation as well, because now they were turning back towards their screens.

"Good, but we better hurry. The kids have always been faster at reaching places, having the strange ability to reach places of high importance, like a bioemergence, before the adults usually did. Let's pray this time we would reach there first."

* * *

**Hmm. Unexpected huh? So now it's a mad rush to get there first. For those who are waiting for the Digimon battles, it is only a few chapters away. I can guarantee at Chapter 10 there will already be a battle.**

**Just be a little more patient. Meanwhile, I think this chapter has already reveal the main couplings. I won't be telling you this next time. You'll just have to watch out for them yourself. I'll try not to make it too obvious. I want this to go slowly, not rush into a romance immediately.**

**Please review and tell me what you think. I will try to update as fast as possible. The next chapter should be up in the next two days or so. I am quite busy after all. Curse teachers and their homework. Please also visit my profile page and vote! **

**Until next time!**


	7. More Complications

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Digimon, but I do own the plot, and DRAGOON.

* * *

_**Digimon Continuity**_

**Quest for the Digimon  
**

Chapter 7

_More Complications_

* * *

_**:.**_** Real World - Japan, Tokyo, Tokyo Metropolitan Towers  
Carpark  
**

**01:37 PM JST**

Once they got into the car, Takato found the voice to speak. "What do we do now? The others know about the portal for who knows how long already! What are we going to do?"

"Calm down Takato. I'm sure everything is going to be alright. You reassured me that they won't do anything stupid, remember?"

"That was when I was going to _be _the one to tell them to meet _me_ at the hideout."

The car drove out of the building, Takato in the passenger seat, Janyu in the back, and Yamaki at the wheel.

"And it makes any difference because...?"

"Because they _weren't _supposed to _know _about the portal."

"Oh." He never expected Takato to be able to come up with this kind of plan, he would have expected Henry to be the one.

"Well," came Janyu's muffled voice. He sounded as though he were about to puke. "We had better step on it. I don't want to go there to find out they had already gone through the portal."

"They won't." Yamaki said.

"And why not?"

Yamaki shook his head, like that was the stupidest thing anyone ever asked him. "That would be because we have Takato here. And them being the good friends they are would wait for _all _of the Tamers before proceeding."

Only the loud sounds of honking and the usual traffic was heard after that.

* * *

_**:.**_** Real World - Japan, Tokyo, Shinjuku  
**

**01:38 PM JST**

"Hurry up Akiyama."

"Wow..." Ryo panted. "For a girl who only stays at home after school, she sure can run."

"Who are you calling a girl, Akiyama?! Blame yourself for not keeping in shape."

"Never mind, Jeri, you OK?"

"Yeah," Jeri answered. "But what about Takato? I think he's still in shock or something. Do you think..."

"Don't worry about him Jeri, he dealt with much worse before."

"Hmm..."

"Akiyama! You must be the slowest person I ever had the misfortune to meet."

"Then you haven't met a lot of people then." Ryo countered smoothly.

"Wha...whatever."

"Yeah, I am suuure."

"Shut up and move that lazy ass of yours, Akiyama."

"Hey Rika!" another voice ahead of them said. "You can stop telling Ryo to hurry up, you're not so fast yourself..."

"Shut up Kazu," Rika yelled. "You have your butt personally sent to the Digital World by me if you don't."

Ryo could see Kazu gulping from this distance even. Ryo frown and shook his head in amusement. _Some things never change. _

* * *

_**:.**_** Real World - Japan, Tokyo, Shinjuku Central Park  
Guilmon's Hideout  
**

**01:44 PM JST**

Once everyone reached the hideout, Rika pushed all of the others aside to see the portal.

"OK, so what's keeping us from just jumping in?" Rika asked irritably.

"Oh nothing except Takato and Henry." Ryo said looking around as if the said two would appear if he did.

"I thought Brainiac was supposed to be the one to have discovered the portal in the first place."

"Yeah, he is..." _He couldn't have... could he? No, Henry is smarter than this._

"Ryo." Kazu came. "Where's..."

"Where's that Gogglehead already?!" A certain red head yelled.

"Umm. What Rika said."

"He's on his way, Kazu."

"Great, I can't wait to see Guardromon again." Kazu jumped, throwing a fist into the air.

"Yeah," Kenta came along. "I will be glad to see MarineAngemon too."

"Shut up! I don't want to hear you talking."

"Rika, let him gloat. It has been a while since he did."

"Whatever, I don't care."

Ryo frowned. The relationship between the Tamers had deteriorated after the Digimon's disappearance. It appeared to be improving. _But still, it doesn't look too good. With Rika acting like this again. I wonder, would she be the same friendly person we all got to like if Renamon comes back? What would happen to everyone? How would they react if... the Digimon... No. The Digimon are definitely alright. I'm sure that they are strong enough to take care of themselves._

"Then you won't mind waiting."

Kazu and Kenta laughed. Ryo was glad to see them reacting. Perhaps things would get better after all.

Rika looked mad that Ryo was able to counter that. Some things never changed.

Finally, a familiar voice was heard.

* * *

_**:.**_** Real World - Japan, Tokyo, Shinjuku Central Park  
Guilmon's Hideout  
**

**01:45 PM JST**

"Hey guys!"

"Gogglehead! You are sooo dead! We had to wait for you before I could go see Renamon again!"

"Umm... nice to see you out of your house, Rika..."

"THAT'S IT! You have messed with me far enough you..." Ryo grabbed her just as she lurged. "Get off me, Akiyama! I want a piece of him!"

"And waste more time?" Rika stopped struggling. She pulled herself from him, face red in anger.

"I shall hate you for the rest of my life."

"Nothing to worry about."

"Umm guys, I have something to say."

"Shut up, Gogglehead." Rika snapped. "I am trying to think of a retort here."

"Won't be much of a retort now that you told me about it now is it?" Ryo chuckled.

Kazu and Kenta approached. "I can't believe Ryo is still able to do that. I guess that's what you're able to do when you are older." the former said.

Takato was right about as shocked as can be. _They are... they must have really found the portal._ Takato gulped and scanned the place. The twins and Suzie were absent. But..._ Where's Henry_?

"Alright guys. Now the fun's over."

Everyone froze. Even Rika and Ryo stopped quarreling.

_Oh no. Not now..._

* * *

**Finally! The next chapter is up! Sorry about the late update. I kinda had exams. I will update as soon as possible.**


	8. Result of The D Reaper

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Digimon, but I do own the plot, and DRAGOON.

* * *

_**Digimon Continuity**_

**Quest for the Digimon  
**

Chapter 8

_Result of The D-Reaper_

* * *

**_:_. Digital Plane - Desert Plane**

**01:45 PM JST**

Henry opened his eyes to the light. Immediately he had to close them again. _Too bright... ... but no heat... Can it be? _A smile appeared. Slowly, Henry opened his eyes and looked around. _No way! _he thought in shock as the smile faded away.

* * *

_**:.**_** Real World - Japan, Tokyo, Shinjuku Central Park  
Guilmon's Hideout  
**

**01:44 PM JST**

"Alright guys. Now the fun's over." came an oddly familiar voice.

"Yamaki." Ryo stated. The shock only lasted for a microsecond. "What are you doing here?"

"Making sure you kids don't do anything stupid of course."

"How did you find out about this?!" Rika called out, before quickly putting her hands to her mouth to stop any more giveaways.

_Well, there's a plan scratched._

"How I found out isn't important. Is everyone here?" Yamaki said in an urgent voice that was not the usual him.

"Well, everyone who's supposed to be here is here." said Ryo.

"Ryo stop pretending! We know you guys found a portal! Now where is Henry?" Another man of blue hair appeared. _Henry's dad._

"..."

"Umm." came Kazu to the rescue. "We don't exactly know..."

"What! Please tell me one of you know..." Janyu said worriedly.

Ryo thought for a moment. Putting everything he knew together, there were only two possibilities. "I thought that Henry might have left the hideout to look for Takato." He gestured to the said boy. "But since he is here, there is only one other alternative..."

"No way." _Rika, always interrupting me._ "Henry is not as dumb as Kazu or Kenta..."

"Hey!"

"It is a possibility."

"Shut up, Ryo!" Ryo's eyebrows knitted together. Rika only ever used his name in dire situations. This was definitely one of them. "Henry is not that stupid."

"I am afraid he is, Rika." Yamaki said. "Ryo is right. We should take appropriate action accordingly. If Henry really went into the portal, there is a chance he may be attacked."

Gasps were heard everywhere. "Bet you didn't think about that didn't you kids." Yamaki finished.

Silence.

Yamaki took out his phone, and made a call.

"Riley, it is time. We cannot wait any longer." he said into the phone. _What the? They had this all planned?_ Ryo's blood boiled. Looking around, he noticed similar reactions from the others, albeit Takato and Jeri. "Launch Dragoon now."

With that, he hung up.

"I guess we can't stop you anyway." Yamaki stated. Ryo frowned, as did some of the others. _What is he getting at?_

Suddenly, his gaze shifted to Ryo. "I hope you will find Henry and bring everyone back safe."

Ryo's face burned as all eyes turned to him instead. "What do you mean?" asking the question on everyone's mind.

Yamaki smiled, something you don't see everyday. Then again, a lot of things that happened today weren't things you would consider happening everyday either.

"Look what happened the last time we tried to interfere in your affairs. We lost millions of dollars worth of equipment, and earned your eternal dislike."

"So?" asked Rika, as confused as everyone else.

"So, they are helping us to get back out Digimon." Rika turned to Ryo to scold him, only to realize the speaker was none other than...

"Gogglehead, since when did you become the smart one?"

Takato's face flared red, before he quickly shook his head. "Well, it is obvious."

* * *

_**:.**_** Real World - Japan, Tokyo, Shinjuku Central Park  
Guilmon's Hideout  
**

**01:45 PM JST**

Rika rolled her eyes. _This world is going crazy. Gogglehead and Brainiac must have switched brains or something._

"Alright guys, we will help you in getting your Digimon back. Under one condition though..."

"What is it this time?" an annoying voice (at least to Rika) asked.

Rika glared at Kazu, though it remained unnoticed. _That's supposed to be me! You will pay for this, Kazu._

"You have to tell your parents."

That stopped her plotting thoughts in their tracks. Her brain, which hadn't been used much except to snap back at Ryo with another insult, processed this information though rusty nerves. _I...I can't do that._ She did a 360. All were nodding their heads. All except her. She was always the exception. _No. I have not talked to Grandma or Mom ever since... _The memory of Renamon's In Training form, Viximon, leaving though the portal again flashed. _...I just can't do it._

She glanced to the hideout. _I can do it after I get Renamon back._ She looked at Yamaki again, who was. Only Ryo was looking at her weirdly.

_If I can shake off Akiyama, I can sneak into the portal, find Henry and the Digimon, and be back before they know it..._

* * *

**_:_. Digital Plane - Desert Plane**

**01:45 PM JST**

_It can't be..._ Henry thought as he observed his surroundings. There were many craters in the once flat land of the dessert plane. A battle seems to have taken place here. _What could have done this?_

Henry kept looking around, before starting to walk in a random direction. _No data streams as far as the eye can see... weird. _Ahead, there were rock structures that seemed to be the ones he and the other Tamers used to avoid the data streams from randomly sucking them up and depositing them in another place. But now, they seemed to be demolished, except for a few.

Henry had been hoping for something familiar, some landmark to follow to reach Terriermon, and eventually, the other Digimon.

Then, a possibility surfaced. _Could it be?... that... this was all caused by... the DigiWorld's D-Reaper?..._

It made sense... a lot of sense. _The Digital World's D-Reaper was able to delete anything on contact. _Memories returned as he recalled the red mass that enveloped one rock after another. The result was that nothing was left, not even the data. _Compared to that one, our D-Reaper seems like nothing but just one other Digimon._

_What's more, a week after the D-Reaper emerged, another one came. I am willing to bet it came from the Digital World... _Henry thought as he continued walking. _... That would mean that that D-Reaper had a whole week to destroy all it wanted. I don't think that even all the Mega Digimon in the Digital World could have stopped it._

_I'm surprised that the Digital World is still around... ... ..._ _I hope Terriermon and the others are alright. _He frowned at the aspect of having to live in such a demolished place.

* * *

_**:.**_** Real World - Japan, Tokyo, Shinjuku Central Park  
Guilmon's Hideout  
**

**01:45 PM JST**

"Don't even think about it, Rika."

"What, Akiyama?!" the said girl said irritably.

"I know what you are thinking."

"What?!" she shot, albeit a bit worried this time.

"You have to come with the rest of us to..."

He trailed off, because at that moment, the red head made a dash for the hideout.

"NO RIKA! STOP!"

That caught the attention of the others.

"Rika, wait!" came some of their voices.

Ryo tried in vain to reach her, but she had the advantage of being nearer to the hideout than the others. Not even Yamaki could reach her in time.

A flash of light came from the hideout. Ryo knew at that moment he was too late...

* * *

**I know this chapter is not that good, but I am getting a writer's block on how to get them into the Digital World and still somehow cause a little mayhem. **

**I plan for the Digimon to appear in the next two chapters or so. I am quite sure by then that a battle will occur.**

**Until then, please review. **


	9. Digivolution Trouble

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Digimon, but I do own the plot, and DRAGOON.

* * *

_**Digimon Continuity**_

**Quest for the Digimon  
**

Chapter 9

_Digivolution Trouble_

* * *

**_:_. Digital Plane - Desert Plane**

**01:46 PM JST**

Henry quivered. Pinning him to the ground with its paws, was a black three-headed dog. One head was baring his fangs at him, the other two were sniffing him.

"You do not appearrr to be grrreen. Norrr arrre you a Digimon. Who arrre you?" growled Cerberumon, emphasizing the growl on the various words.

_Oh no. He can't be talking about Terriermon, can he?_ Henry would have let out a sigh if he wasn't in his current situation right now. _Great, even when he is not around, he can still cause trouble for me._

The black Digimon growled again.

"I-I-I aaammm... a human?" Henry trembled. This Digimon could easily make him a Digi-snack.

Air blew out of the creature's nostrils. Not very pleasant air.

"Ha. You are one of those Tamers, aren't you?"

"Yeeeaaah, what isss this about?" He did not like the tone Cerberumon was using, especially him growling out the words.

"YOU! What have you done?" the towering Digimon said. "You have tainted the pure and innocent souls of the Digimon!"

"I-I-I... have done nothing of that!" Henry quickly closed his mouth. Despite having some way gained his courage, yelling at the Digimon will only increase his chances of getting eaten.

"Silence!" the Digimon roared, literally.

Henry tried to back away, only to remember that he was pinned to the ground.

"You have contaminated the pureness of Digimon by invading our bodies! You have corrupted the Digimon! I shall now deliver your punishment... ... DELETION!"

_Come on, Terriermon! Where are you when I need you? _Henry silently prayed.

Someone must have heard his prayer, because at the moment Cerberumon's jaws approached, a loud explosion was heard.

Cerberumon quickly averted its attention to the source of the sound, while Henry thanked the beings above.

The air was abruptly filled with cursing. The source of it turned out to be none other than... (I am sure you can guess by now right? No? Come on, only one person curses like her... never mind)... Rika.

Henry saw (or rather heard her) before attempting to get her to notice him and the dangerous creature on him. This was not an easy task as Henry could not talk for fear of drawing the dog to him.

* * *

Rika got out of the hole that she made crashing into the ground, and started a stream of words that would frustrate even most patient of people.

_I don't believe it! I _forgot _that I was going to crash into the ground! Of all the things! First I forgot about the falling part, and then I forgot I was going to _free fall _to the ground!... ... ... Wait, isn't this the part where we... _Rika paused._ I run_ _my life from the data streams?_

Rika stopped her thoughts and looked up... to see a Digimon her knowledge identified as Cerberumon, one possible evolution of Dobermon in the card game. The latter being the one who provided them the power to Biomerge in the Real World.

She noticed a familiar looking blue-haired boy under the hell beast. The entire scene looked awkward. She could have made a joke about it if the Digimon wasn't staring at her with all three heads that appeared to be... ... smiling.

_Why on earth would I see this as the first thing to see when I land in the Digital World?  
_

"So Brainiac, what are you doing? Getting licked by a three-headed dog?"

* * *

Henry desperately wanted to palm his forehead or slap her. Neither was possible as his hands were pinned and ... you would not want to slap Rika.

"I am insulted to hear that you think of us Digimon as the mindless creatures present in your world, human." One of his heads sniffed the air. "You have one of the scents of a traitor Digimon on you. You must be one of the Tamers."

Rika nodded, smiling apparently that she was so famous. Henry forgot to roll his eyes. She was in a losing situation and Henry doubted agreeing with her to-be-eater would do any good... if she knew what she was doing.

Rika kept nodding, until she registered the use of the word traitor.

"Wait, you said traitor, didn't you?"

"Glad you are keeping on." was Cerberumon's answer.

Rika pondered this. "If you meant the Devas, you don't have to worry, we took care of them for you."

The Digimon somehow turned frustrated and furious. Not a good combination. "You dare gloat about your victory over the Devas! It was only because you outnumbered them three to one that you managed victory! You have no honour! I will ensure that you are next, after I finish with this one!!"

The centre head returned to Henry. At that moment, Rika realized with horror that they were not heroes of the Digital World. That Cerberumon was not a nice welcome guest, but an enemy that was about to pound Henry to little more than a pulp.

"Oh no."

Cerberumon's head returned to him. Henry turned away from the saliva dripping from the Digimon's mouth.

"Riiiikaaaa." he said, not averting his eyes from the mouth. "Help."

* * *

Rika was rooted to the ground. Her mind was blank. No ideas came. _Renamon... I need you... please...  
_

An instant later, a voice answered in her head. _Ask and you shall receive._ Rika felt her heart lift. The world was suddenly right again. Renamon was back.

"RENAMON!"

A yellow blur hit head-on to Cerberumon, throwing him off Henry.

Cerberumon flew to the ground, but got up immediately, ready to attack.

Renamon stood in front of both the fallen Henry and Rika.

"Couldn't cut it any closer, huh?" Henry snapped.

"Shut it, Brainiac. You should be thanking that Renamon was here to save you..."

"While you stand down there chatting with the one about to eat him!" another voice said.

_No. _"Please tell me I am hearing things."

"Nope you are not!" the annoying voice continued. Out of the blue, a red dino charged into the scene, halting just before he hit any of the three.

"Henry! Rika!" the red dino said elatedly, and tried to crash them both in a hug.

"Get off, Guilmon!" Henry said angrily. "I want to kill Terriermon!"

"What Brainiac said," said Rika.

"What? Why?" the said Digimon exclaimed while jumping off Guilmon's back to hide behind him, along with Impmon, MarineAngemon and Lopmon. It seemed that the dino had been turned into a Digi-taxi.

The dino backed away and looked at them with curious eyes. Totally ignoring the current conversation, he asked: "Where is Takato?"

"Pineapple Head! How dumb can you get? You don't see him anywhere, do ya?"

Henry didn't even hear Guilmon, because he lurched at the dog-bunny, and engulfed the Digimon in a hug.

The shocked bunny did not do anything. One minute his Tamer was wanting to kill him for no reason, the next the latter is crashing the air out of him.

* * *

Renamon rolled her eyes at the sight. _Humans are weird._

She, however, made sure to keep her attention on the black Digimon.

"Traitor!" he yelled at Renamon. "You would let yourself be humiliated like this?!"

Calmly, Renamon answered. "No. That is just an overly emotional human."

"You have betrayed our kindness! You shall pay dearly!"

"We shall see."

Cerberumon leapt at her, fangs bared. She jumped into the air to dodge the attack.

"Diamond Storm!" Shards materialized in front of her and she launched them at the dog.

Cerberumon was expecting the attack. He leapt to the side and unleashed his attack.

"Hell Fire!" A blast of hellish fire was shot at Renamon. It melted her Diamond Storm attack to liquid. Renamon twisted in the air and landed smoothly on the ground.

The hell dog leapt at her again, this time slashing the three ridiculously long claws at her.

* * *

Meanwhile, Henry released Terriermon, and started to scold the bunny for not coming to his aid.

Rika thought this to be a bad time and voiced it. "Hey, Brainiac! As much as I enjoy the little show you have there. I would prefer it to come after the fight."

Henry looked at her for a moment, and nodded his approval. "Alright Terriermon. This is your chance to make up for what you did _not _do."

"Bring it on, Henry!"

Rika and Henry simultaneously drew random cards, and focused on them.

After a few seconds, Guilmon's curiosity overtook him. "What are you doing?"

"Pineapple Head! Gush, you are dumb... they are trying to Digivolve their Digimon friends to Ultimate here."

"Shut up, Impmon, I am trying to concentrate!" snapped Rika.

After another few more seconds wasted, where only the sounds of Renamon dishing it out with Cerberumon could be heard, neither of the cards turned blue.

"What is wrong? We used to be able to do this just fine!" an exasperated Henry said.

"Maybe because the Catalyst has already released the powers of the Shining Digivolution, that is why you are unable to activate the blue cards, which draw that power from the Catalyst." Lopmon intelligently replied.

"Then what are we going to do?" Rika asked no one in particular.

"Why don't you just Biomerge?!" Terriermon said.

_Why didn't I think of that before?... In fact, I don't believe that the bunny is be smart enough to even think._

"Well?" Terriermon looked expectantly to Henry.

Henry raised an eyebrow. "We can't just biomerge like this."

"Why not?"

"Our size could flatten everyone if we don't watch where we step. Also, what if one of our missiles miss and hit our friends? Or what if..."

"In other words," Rika stopped Henry from elaborating. "You can't biomerge."

"Aw man!"

_Thank heavens. If the bunny was in control of that oversized... well... bunny, _Rika shivered on remembering the not-so-sane SaintGargomon during the fight with the D-Reaper. _...it will be the end of both worlds._

* * *

Renamon evaded another Hell Fire attack. Suddenly, a rough voice was heard. "Desolation Claw!"

Energy slashes that seemingly appeared out of nowhere headed straight for Cerberumon.

The Digimon skillfully jumped into the air, and came down with a struggling Cyberdramon in its mouth.

Renamon gasped. Not many could pull Cyberdramon from the sky like that.

Then, Rika's voice was heard. "Renamon!"

The yellow vixen looked to her Tamer, to see her holding out the D-Power. Understanding passed. Renamon readied herself.

"BIOMERGE ACTIVATE!"

Cyberdramon threw Cerberumon off him and countered with a Cyber Nail attack.

"Now what's wrong?" Terriermon inquired.

Rika was at a loss for words. So was Renamon.

Not being to activate the blue cards was one thing... ... not being able to biomerge was a whole other problem.

* * *

**PLOT TWIST!**

**I had this on my mind for ages. So I decided to skip a little and head straight for the action.**

**Now that the Tamers are unable to Biomerge and digivolve their Digimon to Ultimate, only Cyberdramon is left that is able to evenly match Cerberumon. I thought that this would add an interesting effect to the story, as well as single it out from most fics. The Tamers must rediscover how to regain their ability to biomerge and find a new way to allow their Digimon to reach Ultimate.**

**Please review! See you in the next chapter!**


	10. Back to the Basics

**NOTE: This chapter has been accidentally deleted due to a mistake on the author's part while replacing the chapters. **

**Thus, please move on to the next chapter first while the author rewrites this chapter.**

**Many apologies for this inconvenience. Please enjoy the story in the mean time.  
**


	11. Turning Point

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Digimon, but I do own the plot, and DRAGOON.

* * *

_**Digimon Continuity**_

**Quest for the Digimon  
**

Chapter 11

_Turning Point_

* * *

**_:_. Digital Plane - Desert Plane**

**01:59 PM JST**

"HENRY!!"

"NO!"

"Ah! Help me!" Henry cried.

* * *

_**:.**_** Real World - Japan, Tokyo, Tokyo Metropolitan Towers  
Main Control Room**

**01:59 PM JST**

"What's wrong with Rika?!" the voice repeated, a little more threateningly this time.

"Now, now Mrs Nonaka. Calm down. Getting mad is not going to get us anywhere." Yamaki skillfully cut in.

"NO! I will not calm down! It is my daughter we are talking about here!" Mrs Nonaka said.

"Yes, Janyu! Where is our son?!" Henry's mother exclaimed, dragging along with her Henry's younger sister, Suzie. Two unknown people that had blue hair also followed. They, Takato presumed, were Henry's older brother and sister.

"Please, Mayumi. Calm down, we are looking for him right now," Mr. Wong tried to calm his own wife.

"No, Janyu. If our son is in that horrible place again, I will make sure I divorce you right this instant!" Mrs. Wong said, leaving the room in shock at her words.

"Yeah, Dad!" the female of the two said. "What is going on with Henry?"

Ryo, was not intimidated by the two angry mothers and a sister. In fact, it seemed to give him a reason to be angry as well. "ENOUGH!!" His voice echoed on the walls, making him sound even louder than the three women and angrier.

All turned to Ryo as one, the adults trembled. Takato instinctively took a step back. This was almost exactly like the time Guilmon turned into Megidramon. Painful memories returned, and comparing the two situations, Takato was sure that if Cyberdramon was here, it would be extremely bad... not that he could think of how Cyberdramon could get any worse. He never knew Ryo kept such a rage in him, masked by the confidence.

Ryo took a deep breath, whist everyone held theirs. Even Yamaki. After calming down, Ryo spoke in his usual confident voice, the one Rika would kill to mute, no trace of the untold anger hidden within the previous one. "If you still want to keep wasting time making _stupid _threats like divorcing, you can say goodbye to your children..." Gasps were heard from the two mothers, Ryo just ignored them. "... because they most likely will not come back if you keep delaying us."

With that, Ryo coolly walked off, headed for the elevator. Yamaki regained his voice. "Stop Ryo, you are not ready."

Ryo halted in his tracks, and faced the older man, meeting the eyes of Yamaki. "I am ready. I have gone to the Digital World and survived with only the things on my back." he gestured to himself. "There is nothing else I need that I don't have."

Yamaki was at a loss for words. Suddenly, someone shouted something. "DRAGOON has reached the Dessert Plane!"

Takato looked to the screen, sure enough, it was the Dessert-like Plane, except that it was so badly damaged that he could barely look at it, and he himself had been lost in the entire thing, looking for the other Tamers.

"Oh man, do you... think Babamon and Jijimon are alright?" Kenta asked. Takato understood, those were his and Kazu's possible partners, before they met MarineAngemon and Guardromon respectively.

"Yeah. They have to be, they are Mega Digimon after all..." Kazu tried in vain to console his companion.

Takato all of a sudden remembered Ryo and turned to find the latter, but it seemed Ryo had already gone. Yamaki also suddenly noticed Ryo's absence as well, because he quickly went to one of the consoles. Takato would have sworn that it was the building's guard one the other side of the line that Yamaki was talking into.

The others noticed as well. Takato realized that only himself, Kazu, Kenta, Jeri and Suzie remained of the original group that traveled to the Digital World. It made him feel sad, as he expected everyone to go and come back together, not like this.

Yamaki slammed the table, jolting Takato from his thoughts. "Ryo's gone, the guard never stood a chance," He looked to Takato. "You are the only one left." Somehow, Yamaki voicing out the fact made him feel worse.

"What do you mean 'you are the only one left'? We are still here!" Kazu exclaimed, sounding as stupid as ever. That managed to bring a smile out of Takato.

He knew Yamaki also smiled at some point, but he only a turned glare on the visor boy.

"DRAGOON has found them!" another voice yelled out.

The remaining Tamers, the parents and Yamaki turned their eyes to the screen, where a horrible thing was shown.

* * *

**_:_. Digital Plane - Desert Plane**

**02:00 PM JST**

Henry watched in shock as he was dragged towards the portal. At that moment, it was as though time had slowed down. He noticed Gargomon calling for him, but had his hands rooted to the ground, feet flying. Rika was on Kyuubimon, while the latter struggled to hold her ground. Cyberdramon had one set of claws in the ground, while the other slashed the air, creating shockwave energy that was able to destroy and erase data, and sent them at Cerberumon. Guilmon was doing the same, both sets of claws full buried, while Lopmon and MarineAngemon held on. It was only then that he realized Guardromon was missing. _Great timing, Henry. _he thought.

Those who noticed his predicament were unable to do anything, those would could were too busy. No one was left that could help him. The dark feeling was getting stronger with each centimetre that he neared the abyss. _This is what Kari must have felt when she was in the Dark Ocean. _It was hard to imagine this feeling consuming his entire being. He really admired the girl for keeping a cool head for the amount of time she did in that place.

Henry looked towards the abyss that was the horrible portal to the Dark Area. Despite not knowing what that was, Henry knew that it was not going to be much different from the Dark Ocean. _In fact, I think that maybe they are the same thing. _He mentally slapped himself. _Great, now I am attaining enlightenment..._

Henry's feet were partially in the hole now. He felt them numb from the evil darkness. A horrible cold went up his spine. _Someone, anyone... help..._

God, if there was any up there, must have particularly liked him that day, because directly after the mental cry, a great 'swoosh' was heard.

* * *

Rika watched in horror as Henry was sucked into the portal. There was nothing she could do. That was what she hated most about it. Her friend was in danger, he needed her help, and yet, all she could do was watch as he slid inch by inch into the portal conjured by Cerberumon.

_Kyuubimon can't Digivolve Ultimate, and all she can do herself is to hold on tight. Bunnymon is half flying holding on for his life. _she thought as she watched Gargomon. _What can I do, I am the only one who can do anything!... But what? _Then, it hit her. _Of course! I am such an idiot!_

She quickly drew a card, and was prepared to slash it when a blur flew down from the sky, scooped up Henry, and made for the safety of the sky. It then released a barrage of energy beams. Her eyes followed the beams' tracks, to see them impacting on the area around Cerberumon.

Cyberdramon's attacks have thus far missed the hell dog, not even being close to hitting the latter... and he was standing still. The unknown Digimon's attacks hit their mark. Cerberumon lost concentration and the portals disappeared.

* * *

_**:.**_** Real World - Japan, Tokyo, Tokyo Metropolitan Towers  
Main Control Room**

**02:05 PM JST**

"Alright! He did it!" Takato cheered. They saw Henry's predicament though the screens. None of them had done anything. DRAGOON itself did all the work.

"Looks like DRAGOON is doing well," Yamaki noted.

"What?" Babel asked. "Didn't you have faith in us?"

Yamaki let out a laugh. Shibumi crossed his arms. "Look people, he is now laughing at us, what should we do about that?" He asked good-naturedly.

"I don't know," Dolphin, aka Rob McCoy said. "How about getting on with the preparations? I hate to admit it, but that kid earlier was right. DRAGOON can take care of Rika and Henry..." Mayumi Wong let out a sigh of relief, trusting in her husband's team. Mrs. Nonaka, however, did not look as reassured.

"Yes," Yamaki turned to Takato. "I trust in Ryo to be able to take care of himself, with that map of his, he can go anywhere easily."

_Yeah, if we had Ryo's map last time, we would not have gotten lost like we did._ Takato thought, though he doubted he would have been able to navigate such a map. To add to that, he was clumsy. If he used the map, they would take forever anyway.

"Hey!" Daisy exclaimed. "I just had an idea! We could use the map..." She rushed to the console that Ryo put the map in. "... and transfer it into the Tamers D-Powers!"

"Great idea, Daisy!" Dolphin said. He turned to Shibumi. "Can you connect their Digivices?"

"Sure," Shibumi replied.

"You heard them guys, hand over your D-Powers," Yamaki said.

"Alright, alright," Kazu grumbled. "But you could ask nicely."

"No time," was Yamaki's retort.

All the D-Powers were handed to Janyu, who passed them to Shibumi. However...

"Are you alright, Jeri?" Takato asked in concern. She had always kept her own D-Power with her, for reasons unknown. Takato believed she drew strength from the little device. But going to the Digital World again, with everyone but her reuniting with their Digimon, will ignite painful memories.

"Yeah, I'm OK," she said expressionlessly, handing the white device with a gold ring around the screen. Janyu's eyes lingered on the brown haired girl for a while, before returning to his task.

"Now," Yamaki continued, but his words were lost as Takato took no notice. He was looking at Jeri, trying to see if there was anyway to help her. _It is the least I can do after she helped me. _He reasoned, thinking of how both Jeri and Ryo were the only ones going around, trying to convince everyone that they will meet the Digimon again. Now looking at her, Takato realized that it should probably have been the other way around, as Jeri herself will never meet Leomon again. He wondered what it was like, to never meet Guilmon again. He had thought of it before, but to even _think_ that Guilmon was gone forever, deleted, that thought almost made him fall to his knees in horror.

Except at that moment Kazu slammed Takato's head with his palm, jolting Takato out of his thoughts. In front, Jeri face was very red and she was looking away from him. Then his brain caught a hint of what Kazu had said: "... don't need to stare at her like an idiot, we all know you like her, but now is not the time Chumly..." Takato's face turned a shade of crimson as well, such that you would not be able to differentiate his face from Guilmon's body if you positioned them together. _Oh man, I forgot to look away... _He mentally hit himself. He went into such a deep thought while still looking at Jeri, making it as though he was _staring at_ Jeri.

Yamaki shook his head. "Takato, focus."

"Right," he replied in a small voice. Kazu would make such a fuss out of it, he would never live it down.

"Now, I want you guys to take these," He started to hand out small devices that looked like... D-Terminals. He however, only gave them to Kazu, Kenta and Jeri, despite still having a few more at hand.

Kazu started talking. "Look Yamaki, I know that the guys in the show use these D-Terminals to talk to each other and all, but can't you be more original?"

In return, he got a glare. "These aren't just your everyday toys that come out from the stores. We have upgraded them best we could, but given the limited budget, I could only add some speakers, a microphone and tune it in with DRAGOON's own frequency, allowing you to communicate with him from far. The frequency is also that of the Biomerge one, that means you can talk to the others from afar in their Biomerged forms too."

Kazu let out a whistle. "What about Takato?" He asked, pointing to the boy. Yamaki thought for a while, before handing the remainder to the boy. The older man also tossed a bag to Takato as well. "Put them inside, and buckle it tight. I don't want you to lose these the way you lost your bread."

Takato started to open his mouth in protest. But his words were stopped when the D-Powers arrived, ready to be taken back. So, instead, he asked a question more suited to the current situation. "What if the D-Terminals don't work?"

"..." None of the staff in the room said anything. Takato understood.

"I... probably shouldn't have asked that..."

Dolphin reacted. "No, no. It was right for you to ask that... but..."

"... we are hoping what the show shows is right." Janyu completed. "After all, Azulongmon was in the show and he showed up... ..." The blue haired man suddenly fell silent, his eyes widening to the size of dinner plates.

"No... way..." Daisy said in disbelief. "I can't believe we never realized that."

"What is it?" Yamaki asked, not accustomed to being in the dark.

Shibumi answered for his two shocked teammates. "Think about it Yamaki, what are the chances of the Show showing a Digimon of the exact same name, holding the exact same title as that which the children met."

Janyu turned to the Tamers. "Kids, is the big blue dragon from the show the same as the one you met?" Takato, Kazu and Kenta nodded in unison. Jeri was... not in the right state of mind to remember meeting the Sovereigns.

Janyu turned to the other Monster Makers. Dolphin nodded. "Yamaki, think about it," he said when he saw Yamaki confused. "The same blue dragon Digimon, the same name, the same title of the Four Harmonious ones? The Four Holy Beasts? The Four Sovereigns?"

He could practically see Yamaki's shocked face. "Then what are we waiting for?" He turned to one of the staff. "I want you to find out who is the one who made this show and bring him here right NOW!"

_I don't believe it... Can it be... that the show is... REAL?_

* * *

**Heads up people! Ryo is turning into Rika! ... Nah. Alright, I have now demonstrated Ryo's anger. But he seems to have it under control. Won't want to know what happens when he doesn't. Henry is saved, but Cerberumon is still kicking. Shocking revelation. I did say what I planned for in my profile page, right? This is just some foundation. We will not be sticking around to find out what happens when the maker of the show is discovered.**

**Moving on, I have shown one of DRAGOON's capabilities. There is more to come. **

**I have plans to start a new fic, along with this and another that I am also currently working on. I am having a poll on whether you readers think I should make a new one to focus on the part I am about to drop off, or work on one that will focus on how 02 leads up to Tamers and eventually this fic.**

**Thanks to Giff4815 for Beta Reading this chapter and for your review.**

**Thanks also to tiff315 for reviewing. Sorry that I never said so in earlier chapters.**

**Please review and vote. **


	12. The Savior & Cerberumon's Defeat

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Digimon, but I do own the plot, and DRAGOON.

* * *

_**Digimon Continuity**_

**Quest for the Digimon  
**

Chapter 12

_The Saviour & Cerberumon's Defeat_

* * *

**_:_. Digital Plane - Desert Plane**

**02:05 PM JST**

Cerberumon growled at the new Digimon that had come to aid them. Rika did not know who that Digimon was, none of her knowledge of the Digimon Card Game revealed anything of this new ally. Nevertheless, she was glad of any help at the moment.

Cyberdramon continued its own attack on the black dog, but Cerberumon ignored him. All its attention was focused on the new enemy in the sky. Rika turned to her D-Power, waiting for the relevant data on the new Digimon to appear. It was not to be. Exactly like the time with Guilmon, the D-Power failed to provide any information.

Lopmon answered her question before she even thought to ask. "That is a Digimon I have never seen before." She yelled from her perch on Guilmon. "I know most of the Digimon around the planes due to me being a former Deva, but this Digimon has never appeared before this."

She frowned before she took out another card, jumped off Kyuubimon and swiped the card though her D-Power. "Digi-Modify! High Speed Plug-In B! Activate!" _I may not know who this Digimon is, but I am glad he is on our side. _She thought back to the time when she fought Guilmon. Renamon's Diamond Storm attack that could easily delete a Champion only ricocheted off the saurian. Remembering the power that Megidramon wielded, she was glad that the adult-sized dino was on their side.

Kyuubimon rushed toward Cerberumon with heightened speed just as the new Digimon released another barrage of lasers, this time, the multiple beams materializing from different parts of it combined into one powerful one. Cerberumon dodged as Kyuubimon used her own attack.

"Fox Flame Dragon!" she exclaimed as she curled into a ball, launching a blue dragon into the place where the enemy would land. Her aim was true, Cerberumon's feet touched the ground after its dodge and the attack collided into it. She had intelligently aimed for the location where it would land. The unexpected attack sent him sprawling to the ground.

Cyberdramon took use of this new development to stop its current attacks and strike Cerberumon up close. "Cyber Nail!" Cyberdramon cleared the distance between them in one leap and dug his claws deep into the three-headed dog's prone form. Cerberumon let out a cry of pain that hurt the ears to hear.

Halfway though the cry, Cerberumon opened his mouth to reveal emerald flames, "Hell Fire!" The attack hit Cyberdramon at point blank range, causing a deafening explosion. The dragon's limp body sailed out of the smoke, though the air.

* * *

Henry watched the battle, nerveless. Cyberdramon was the best option that they had against Cerberumon. Henry himself could not do much. The Rookie Digimon would not stand a chance. MarineAngemon looked too frightened by the ferocity of the intense had both gun barrels stuck in the ground to prevent himself from getting sucked into the portals earlier. Gargomon may be out of action, but his mouth wasn't.

"Henry!... Henry!..." He yelled as he attempted to pull his hands from the ground, but to no avail.

Henry in return snapped himself out of his self pity. Thinking that having Gargomon yell at him like that was not making it easier to collect his thoughts, plus the noise from the battle, he was already missing his Digimon-free days where deep thinking was all too easy. _Too late to regret now. _he sighed as he took out a Modify card.

"Alright Gargomon." Henry grumbled, swiping a card through the slot. "Digi-Modify! Offense Plug-In O! Activate!"

"Why did you..." Gargomon started, before the power of the upgrade overwhelmed him. He blew himself from the ground as his guns went full auto on overcharge. "Whoa!" he quickly turned his now rampaging turrets onto Cerberumon. "Gargo Lasers!"

The black Digimon was just getting to its feet. Cerberumon did not even see it coming. He took the attack full force. The raw power of the attack drove Cerberumon away, feet skidding on the sandy ground.

Guilmon appeared charged for Cerberumon despite the disapproval of his fellow Digimon. Takato's Digimon produced a lop of red energy in his mouth. "Pyro Sphere!" The superheated blast struck Cerberumon from behind. The hell dog could not dodge. He could not stop himself from skidding straight into the blast. Another explosion occurred as Gargomon's and Guilmon's attacks collided into each other with Cerberumon at the centre of impact. The other Rookie Digimon and MarineAngemon followed Guilmon's example, seeing their fellow friend successful in aiding the two Champions and Ultimate.

Lopmon struck first. "Lop Twister!" The bunny spun, producing a twister that hit the flying black Digimon. Cerberumon flipped to the ground after getting hit.

Impmon followed, a fireball materializing in his hand. "Ha! This will show you!" He scoffed. Henry sweat dropped. _He surely knows that he is wasting time, right?_ But because he had done so, he missed his turn to strike Cerberumon.

MarineAngemon quickly took Impmon's place, not allowing Cerberumon the time for him to recover. "Kahuna Wave." The red heart attacks swarmed over Cerberumon and burst, causing unimaginable pain to his already open wounds.

When the attack cleared, Henry winced as he imagined the amount of damage Cerberumon had received. His data was following out of the cut that Cyberdramon inflicted more than ever. In other areas, he seemed to be unable to hold his data together. They threatened to break apart from the main body.

_Ouch. _Henry thought. The unknown Digimon swooped down and finished with its own assault of lasers, fusing the multiple beams of light once again into one powerful blast. The attack made Cerberumon lose grip of his data and Henry watched as bits and parts of Cerberumon was blown away with the flow of the laser.

"This is not over! You will pay, TRAI..." Cerberumon's last words became echoes as he vanished into bits of digital dust before he could complete his sentence. Henry was certain that Cerberumon's last word was traitor. But... _I don't get it. Why would Terriermon and the others be traitors? We did save the DigiWorld... Maybe we should look for Azulongmon and ask._

He came out of his thoughts as the new Digimon landed in front of them. It had a head that looked an awful lot like Grani's. It only seemed right to compare this Digimon to Grani. They held many similarities. This Digimon had hands that looked like they could have really hurt him when it scooped him up. The claws were... not so blunt. His entire body was a dull grey color, with strange patterns all over. The Digimon stood on its hind legs, as its sapphire blue eyes gazed at them, studying them. On closer examination, Henry noticed that this Digimon had the same kind of mechanical look that Grani had. _Maybe he is a cyborg Digimon like Guardromon. Wait..._ He counted the Digimon. There was one missing. Guardromon.

"Are any of you injured?" the unknown Digimon inquired.

Henry abruptly shook his head, scrambling his vision. That was not the only reason his sight lost focus. It was because he could have sworn that the voice that came out from the Digimon was none other than Grani's own. Memories of Dukemon's former steed rushed back.

Gargomon dedigivolved back to Terriermon and gazed at the Digimon in awe. Most likely because of the impressive machinery that the unknown Digimon held. Rika and Renamon approached, both Tamer and Digimon arguing with Impmon about not attacking at the right time and the latter rebuking about his being unable to land his own attack. Upon reaching Henry, Rika withdrew herself from the conversation.

"Alright Brainiac." Rika said. "Who or what is that? I can't get anything on him."

* * *

The Digimon turned its eyes to Rika. No sooner had it done that that she felt a shiver run up her spine. She had seen Grani up close before, when the Monster Makers and Yamaki were trying to further improve his performance back in the temporary labs, while the D-Reaper was still out in the open. Guilmon was there, staring into the same eyes she saw now... Grani's eyes. Things were really messed up.

Guilmon apparently saw the same thing. "Hey! Is that Grani?" He had what she presumed was a huge smile on his face as the dino attempted to jump on the 'Grani' just like he did Takato. Guilmon, however, failing that, settled with hugging the legs of the creature.

The other Digimon quickly averted their attention from whatever they were doing to Guilmon, and then to the creature. Even Impmon and Renamon fell silent. All of them kept their eyes on the creature with the Grani-like head, with a single long carved horn and two little wing-like fins protruding from the main head, giving it a helmet-like appearance. The creature shook its grey head, its long neck twisting left and right, proving more flexible than Grani would have ever been.

"No, young one." All the Digimon took a step back save for Cyberdramon. The voice of the new Digimon had shocked them all. Suddenly Henry's silence became clear. "I am not my previous predecessor. I have been named by my creators as Dragoon. I am here to help you."

Henry regained his voice on hearing 'creators'. "Wait! You mean that... Dad created you?"

"No. I was created by not one person, but your father Janyu Wong was the one that provided some aspect of my programming. Namely, the one that is most important."

"Which is?" Rika considered keeping silent, this was the conversation for Brainiacs like Henry.

"I have the ability to learn. I have the ability to care. I am still able to understand the importance of life beyond my programming. My programming indicates that I have to obey your every command, but am able to question each command if I want to, perhaps provide a better alternative. Giving me the ability to learn and care gives me a conscience. That will ensure that I do not become a mindless machine with too much power, ensuring that I do not turn into another D-Reaper. Nevertheless, I believe that it is unnecessary, as I believe that you are people who will not do such things. This limits my ability to aid you if I hesitate, which could result in undesirable results."

Henry nodded, clearly understanding the science behind Dragoon's words. The only things she managed to discern from the conversation so far was that this Digimon was not a Digimon and that he was another Ark turned weapon like Grani by the Monster Makers which went by the name Dragoon. In her opinion, it was a good name. He looked like a dragon for one thing.

"No, Dragoon." There was a sense of uneasiness when Henry spoke the name. As if he was trying to get used to saying it half willingly. "My father was right to program that in you." Henry lowered his voice, speaking in a whisper. Rika had to strain her ears to hear the words. "So that's why he had been out so late. How long have you planned on keeping this from me, Dad?"

Rika felt lost. She made a mental note to ask Henry what all this was all about sometime soon. Very soon.

"What do you wish for me to do now? Shall I find a shelter in case the evening data streams arrive?"

Henry replied with a nod, still deep in his thoughts. Dragoon swept up sand as he took off into the skies, leaving two humans and seven Digimon on the ground awaiting his return.

* * *

"No." A Digimon that only had a head for his body whispered a great distance from the original battlefield, behind one of the only rocks that remained in the Dessert Plane. "Cerberumon you fool. I told you there were more coming." A single tear fell. He quickly wiped it away as he witnessed his friend Cerberumon blown apart by the laser from the unknown Digimon. He had attempted to aid his partner, approaching as quickly as he could. But still he was too late, Cerberumon was nothing but unidentifiable data now.

He quickly drew away, making a promise to return to this location and bringing his friend's data to a better place to rest... assuming that the traitors have not already loaded his data. He also had a duty to report this. Report Cerberumon's loss and the location of the traitors.

* * *

**_:_. Digital Plane - Unknown Location **

**08:23 PM JST**

Inside an enormous city, many Digimon scrambled around, doing their daily activities. A warrior clad in dark navy blue armor with yellow strips made his way through them, trying his best to avoid looking hurried. The Digimon he passed would halt whatever it was they were currently doing to bow to him. He would reply with a nod and they would return to their work.

_I wonder, what is the hurry? Have the traitors been found?_

Nevertheless, he made certain to seem calm, despite panicking inside. He was never summoned unless it was extremely important. He continued to stroll thoug the city streets, regretting doing so after the messenger arrived. He would have made much better time flying there. On other days he would have gladly enjoyed meeting civilization once again, breathing and listening to the sounds of a city life as before the True Enemy ever surfaced.

He could not find the ability to enjoy the sights and sounds this day, his sweaty palms due to his lack of speed already making him uncomfortable.

After many agonizing minutes, he finally arrived at the heart of the city, the meeting place. Upon entering, he met his fellow comrade and ally, a Digimon that wielded two blades by his side and wore gold Chrome Digizoid armour. It was mixed with black Chrome Digizoid armour, striping each other, giving a balance between offense and defence, with offence slightly more.

The bug warrior looked up when he approached. "You have arrived at last, Darkdramon."

"TigerVespamon," Darkdramon greeted. "It has been a long time since we have met. Any idea why we were summoned?"

"Yes," TigerVespamon answered. "We have a report on the whereabouts of the traitors. I have not personally heard it yet. None of us have."

He nodded. It was only respectable to wait for all three of them to assemble before listening to a report as important as this. It was an unspoken code of honor.

"Shall we?"

Both opened the great doors that lead to the main hall. This was one of the few areas where the True Enemy had not brought the battle to, amazingly, not even a single blob of the red mass ever came close to this area. He doubted it was because it was well hidden. But if so, the lord chose well to pick this area for the refugees and as headquarters.

Inside, their third companion, the leader of them, and the Savior of the Digital World stood. There had only been three Megas, excluding the Sovereigns that survived the battle of the True Enemy. Darkdramon himself and TigerVespamon were two. The last was the one that sat before them behind an enormous circular table was at least 18 feet in diameter.

He waited for them to cross the hall's distance, calm as ever. In front, a Ninjamon stood, albeit looking nervous. That, he presumed, was the Digimon doing the report. Once they were within reasonable distance, both bowed to the third Mega. But he had made it clear that the only bows he ever wanted was a slight inclination of the head. So that became how the Digimon in the city bowed. Darkdramon and TigerVespamon did the same, despite him stating that it was unnecessary. It was all about respect.

Their leader returned the courtesy with a bow, or a nod. Darkdramon could no longer tell the difference. The two Megas took their respective places one opposite sides of the third one at the table. At last, Ninjamon began his report.

He spoke of how Cerberumon initially only trapped a single human, then another human arrived, followed by the traitors. He spoke of a new Digimon he could not identify. Finally he ended by requesting to have a chance to fight against the traitors himself.

The entire hall was shrouded in silence. As there were only the four of them present, the entire hall echoed with Ninjamon's last words.

Tension built as Ninjamon glanced from one Mega to the other, clearly worried that he had broken some kind of protocol. The lord finally broke the silence with his deep, knowing voice. "You may leave, Ninjamon. I will have someone to inform you of our decision." Ninjamon slowly bowed, and exited the door.

Once Ninjamon left, Darkdramon quickly voiced his opinion. "We have to learn more of this new Digimon, assemble a strike team, and attack before more humans arrive."

TigerVespamon shook his head. "No," he said. "We have to think over this carefully. If we rush things, the result might be the same as Cerberumon's fate."

"TigerVespamon is right." Their leader said, turning to Darkdramon, "You must not be as rash as your speed in battle, Darkdramon. But we shall also do as you say. First, we must recall the search teams. We shall only assemble the main strike team after they return." The leader returned his gaze to TigerVespamon. "That should be sufficient time for you to plan out necessary details."

TigerVespamon nodded. Darkdramon struggled to remember his training to calm down. A few deep breaths later, he was calm once more, but still eager for a battle once again.

"That is all for now. You may leave." The third Mega finished. Both Darkdramon and TigerVespamon bowed, before making their way to the exit. Before they fully exited however, the lord spoke once more. "Also, add Ninjamon to the new strike team. I believe that he should have a chance at revenge." Both Megas nodded their reply and left the hall, leaving their leader the one being inside.

* * *

After his fellow Megas left, he stood up and made his way from the table to the back of the hall, where his quarters lay. He spoke into the silence, emerald eyes glistened in the darkness of the room making them look eerie. "So you have come at last Tamers. I have been waiting for you for a very long time..."

In the shadows, a shutdown Guardromon stood...

* * *

**Definitely the most I have ever written for one chapter and arguably the best. A lot of things are revealed here. The big question on everyone's minds is most probably who this 'Savior' or 'leader' is. I am not going to be revealing it anytime soon. But the side story I will be introducing should focus on this... amongst other things. Check my profile page for more info if you want.  
**

**Please review.**


	13. Ryo's Arrival

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Digimon, but I do own the plot, and DRAGOON.

* * *

_**Digimon Continuity**_

**Quest for the Digimon  
**

Chapter 13

_Ryo's Arrival_

* * *

_**:.**_** Real World - Japan, Tokyo, Tokyo Metropolitan Towers  
Main Control Room**

**02:01 PM JST**

"Mr. Yamaki..." The man quickly turned to face the youngster. "What are we supposed to do now? Ryo, Henry and Rika are all gone. We can't help them if we are stuck here like this," Takato said, although his mind was still spinning from the revelation mere seconds ago.

"What?! Rika and Henry gone?" An awfully familiar voice said. Takato instantly recognized it. His mother.

He twisted around just in time to see his mother hide her worried expression.

"Mum!... It's not what you think..." Takato begun.

Mie Matsuki prevented her son from going on. "I know what you are trying to do Takato. You can't lie to me, even if you wanted to. You never were a very good liar anyway..."

Takato deflated. He knew that his mother must have came in while they were watching DRAGOON. She would have known anyway. "I'm sorry, Mum... It's just..."

"We know, Takato." Another familiar voice said. He felt his chest compress. His father was here as well. "We know you want to see Guilmon again." said Takehiro Matsuki. Tears welled in Takato's eyes at the mention of Guilmon, who was so close to coming back.

"We have known that this would happen for a long time already, Takato." His mother continued. "We were prepared for this day. Both of us have decided to let you go when you get the chance to Takato." A single tear fell. Not because he was sad about Guilmon, but because he now knew his decision, knew that he could go without having to sneak away.

"... Thank you... Mom... Dad... Thank you..."

Yamaki placed a hand on his shoulder, and faced the parents. "I... I shall do my best to make sure that your children come back safely. I only wish that you will give them your support again. You have to trust in your own children's abilities. They have managed to save the world from the D-Reaper, I think this should be relatively easy compared to that."

Takato was glad that Yamaki did not mention the risks and was on his side. The last thing he needed was for his parents to lose their faith in him _surviving._ The other parents reluctantly nodded. Takato was beyond shock. The entire events of the day had already removed that ability.

"Now," Yamaki returned his attention to Takato. "I... also know that help from Hypnos is limited Takato. So I am can only count on them" he pointed to the D-Terminal. "to work. If they don't, DRAGOON will find you and you can tell him what to do directly." Yamaki held his hand out. "Good luck."

Takato glanced from Yamaki's outstretched hand to his face. Takato let a smile fill his face and took Yamaki's hand with his own. "Thank you, Yamaki."

* * *

**_:_. Digital Plane - Desert Plane**

**02:14 PM JST**

Two humans and seven Digimon, one which rode on one of the human's shoulder, another three riding on a red one, and the last three walking beside the humans toward the last direction they had seen DRAGOON, the Zero-Arms, headed toward.

The red-headed human decided to finally initiate talk.

"What do we do now, Brainiac?"

"Why are you asking me, Rika?"

"I don't know... Maybe because... YOU'RE THE BRAINIAC!!"

Henry flinched. Rika was getting irritated with waiting for the Zero-Arms known to them only as Dragoon. When she was irritated, watch out whoever who was near. That just so happened to be Henry.

"Come on Rika, give the guy a break. He was the one who _defeated _Cerberumon after all. Even he needs to rest."

"He is a robot, Rabbitmon." She snapped, as uncaring as ever when she was irritated to this extent. "And he was not one who defeated Cerberumon, without Kyuubimon he wouldn't stand a chance."

"Hey, I protest! What are you going to call me when I'm SaintGargomon, huh?"

"A combination of the stupidest and most irritating bunny I know and..."

"Hey, I protest!"

"Add limited vocabulary."

"Hey, I overly protest!"

Henry sighed. He was definitely missing the silence provided during the time when all of them were deep in thought, or he presumed, talking telepathically with there Digimon partner. The other Digimon had also kept their mouths sealed during that time, even Terriermon. He also didn't hear Ryo's partner do its usual not-so-reassuring growls, which would have sent shivers down his spine, even with Ryo around. Speaking of which...

He ignored the current argument with Rika threatening to pull both Terriermon's ears out. Looking behind, he found Cyberdramon lacking behind the rest, not making a single sound. On closer inspection, he noticed the dragon limping. That he found odd. _What could have happened during the time they were alone? _He glanced to the rest of the Digimon. They had lost their usual noisy selves. Even Guilmon was not crying out for Takato or bread. That was crossing the line.

From all he knew of Guilmon, he usually complained of hunger or his missing Tamer. This Guilmon was as silent as the other Digimon, as though something horrible had occurred.

Once the thought completed, the missing growls of Cyberdramon returned. All, even Terriermon and Rika, turned to the grey Ultimate, fearful for a sudden attack. Cyberdramon took no notice of them. He was sniffing the air, just like how he saw Guilmon do once. As sudden as his movements came, Cyberdramon took off in a random direction, not knowing that he was in fact headed back to the exact same location the both he and Rika had landed rather painfully. His takeoff left them to cough in the sand that he blew up.

_Where is he going now?_

* * *

Ryo picked himself from the ground. His heart was pounding in his ears. He did not feel any fear from the drop, but when ground was enlarging under his feet at a dramatic rate, his basic instincts had pumped adrenaline into his system and screamed at him to do something about it. Naturally, he did not as there was nothing to do but fall. His gaze slid across the next to barren landscape of the Dessert Plane. Despite the destruction his eyes witnessed that could only have been caused by a battle, it did not shock him in anyway, although it awoke unpleasant memories. He found two craters in the ground that was not tainted by the blackness of an explosion. He concluded that it could only be the impact of something falling from a great distance, proving once and for all that Henry and Rika are most likely here as well.

He took a good look around the area, searching for any enemies. He cataloged any possible place that a Digimon who wanted to hurt him might hide. Without his partner around, they would not be afraid to attack him. He had his own devices to counter them, but they were only temporary. While observing, he felt his heart recoil in pain. The place he had spent next to a year in was in ruins. It was hard to take. But he ignored it, continuing his observation.

Once he was satisfied, he closed his eyes. His left hand clutched his D-Power tightly, a habit he had developed so long ago. His other hand rested on the deck of Digimon cards held up by his belt on his back. He currently carried three decks, one behind, two side by side on the right side of his belt. One of the two had been the one he had used from the first day he had arrived here all the way up to the meeting of the other Tamers. The other of the two by his side was newly created, made up of new cards that had come into production while he was in the Digital World. The last deck was... It was of an extreme significance.

He had taken the liberty of making a slight detour to where he had hidden his decks before going to the hideout. He knew that one day the Digimon would somehow return, so he always kept a few cards with him. That included an Offense Plug-In A, a High-Speed Plug-In B and a Defense Plug-In C. These were basic cards needed to aid any Digimon. Despite that, it was not enough, so he always kept his three other decks in the one location where he had privacy and not risk them getting found... under Rika Nonaka's room, just in case he needed them in a hurry and couldn't afford to make a return trip home.

Memories, both good and bad, flashed in his mind's eye the moment his hands touched the deck holder. He halted in his stroll down memory lane. Painful memories were bound to surface had he continued, that he knew. He calmed his rapidly beating heart to a slow decent. Entering a trance-like state, he focused his thoughts to sharpen his senses. A few moments later, his eardrums were abruptly bombarded by a sound of a loud gust of wind. It was as though his senses were dormant before, and were now wide awake.

He enjoyed this feeling of 'awakening' for a while longer before snapping out of his trance and opened his eyes to see his partner Cyberdramon flying at top speed toward him. Cyberdramon looked... injured. He could see even from this distance one of his wings stiff. A frown reached Ryo's mouth. Cyberdramon was not one to be injured easily. It was unsettling his new security. He pushed his doubts away and took out a card from his more recently created deck. When he considered Cyberdramon in the range for the effects of the card to take effect, he aligned the card with the card slot. He swiped it through width first, unlike most of the other Tamers who used the length of the card instead for a quicker and more fluid motion. He managed the same grace with the width. So skilled was he.

"Digi-Modify! Recovery Plug-In S! Activate!" Ryo watched as Cyberdramon grew bright before landing in front of him, wing and other injuries healed.

He struck conversation. "Cyberdramon." He said in a monotone to his partner, who stood beside him. Normally one would embrace their Digimon after such a long time of separation. Not Ryo. Cyberdramon did not like displays of emotion anyway... unless you counted rage of course, but that will only ignite his battle instincts.

Cyberdramon in turn let out a growl before properly replying. "Ryo." Cyberdramon was not one for long sentences.

"What's wrong?" He asked in concern, but only the tiniest bit. "Why were you hurt? I never had to use that card before..." It was true, of all the battles he had here, he never used the card as only the unfortunate enemy they were facing got hurt, not Cyberdramon.

Cyberdramon let out another growl.

* * *

_**:.**_** Real World - Japan, Tokyo, Shinjuku Central Park  
Guilmon's Hideout**

**02:17 PM JST**

The group of only three Tamers made their way to the portal after being dropped off by Henry's Dad, Janyu. They were strangely calm for kids whose friends could be in the digestive system of an unnamed Digimon right now. Jeri could not go as they could not risk having the Digimon protect one more person. And, sad to say, there will be not Digimon for her to reconcile with.

They continued their way to the former hideout of the red dino, Guilmon. Inside, making static noises, was the portal, the one and only way to reach the Digital World, their friends and respective partners. Takato inhaled deeply, smelling a faint scent of Guilmon's old presence. It brought a smile to his face, despite the dangers he knew that he could face before he reached his partner. Nevertheless, it was a great feeling to be able to know that Guilmon was reachable just on the other side of the portal.

"So err..." began Kazu. "Are we going in or what?"

The parents did not come to see them off as Yamaki reasoned it would be easier to see them though DRAGOON. Takato tightened his grip on the com device otherwise known better as the D-Terminal. On his other hand, he clenched his D-Power. "Yeah, just getting ready."

Kazu rolled his eyes. "What is there to get ready? Just go." To demonstrate, he stepped into the portal. Kenta, not wanting to be last, quickly followed, leaving Takato to gape at the portal.

"...Okay..." He inhaled one last time, turning around to look at the world outside the hideout. _Will I come back to see this again? Mom... Dad... Jeri..._

He shook the negative thought out of his mind, and entered the portal before his courage could desert him again.

A huge flash followed, making Takato shut his eyes. When he opened them, he found himself suspended in a no-gravity dimension that separated the Real from the Digital World. All kinds of symbols floated around him. He was about to discover what happened when he touched one of them when he took an unexpected dive.

The good thing was, he was headed back into the Digital World. The bad thing? He was headed back into it at 100 miles per hour with a solid ground to soften his landing. _How did I forget this?_ He screamed the whole way.

* * *

**Sorry for the extremely late update. Lots of reasons why, so I won't bore you with it. I know this isn't much, but I am trying my best.**


	14. The Reunion

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Digimon, but I do own the plot, and DRAGOON.

* * *

_**Digimon Continuity**_

**Quest for the Digimon  
**

Chapter 14

_The Reunion_

* * *

**_:_. Digital Plane - Desert Plane**

**02:24 PM JST**

Takato was screaming like there was no tomorrow. Tears stung at his eyes as the air rushed into his face. Takato quickly closed them. He was suddenly yanked upward as if he had opened a parachute when a strong arm grabbed his waist. His mouth felt dry from all the air. He swallowed a bit, and looked behind him to see that his saviour was none other than Ryo's partner, Cyberdramon.

To his surprise, he discovered that Cyberdramon had manage to save all three of them from a lot of pain, not that it mattered if they went unconscious. As Cyberdramon began a slow descent toward the sandy ground - no doubt on Ryo's orders, Cyberdramon would have not been so patient - Takato could have sworn he saw a red object rapidly approaching them.

His suspicions were confirmed when a large red saurian jumped on him the moment his feet touched the ground, sending falling onto his back with more than 60kg of weight on top of him. Takato did not care about that, he was too joyful to even see the red dino. The feeling was mutual with the reptilian Digimon.

"TAKATO!" was the first thing Guilmon shouted when the latter landed on him.

"Guilmon." He managed. It was hard to speak when his lungs were half crushed by red mass.

"TAKATO!" his partner happily repeated. His snout was on Takato's face, tickling it and making it even harder to breathe. Thankfully, Kazu and Kenta stepped in at this point.

"Come on Guilmon," Kazu said as he tried to pull the saurian away, but with little success.

"Yeah. You are going to make him die of either happiness or suffocation. With the color his face is turning, I would say suffocation." Kenta said, trying to pull Guilmon off his friend as well.

Guilmon tilted his head to the side. "What is suffocation?"

Takato, purple faced, choked a reply. "It means I can't breathe, Guilmon." The Digimon's eyes widened and he quickly hopped off his Tamer, pulling him to his feet. Takato put in a few more deep breaths into his relieved lungs and faced Guilmon again.

"Next time, don't do that okay?" Takato told his best friend with mock sternness. In return, Guilmon's bat-like ears fell. One did not need to know Guilmon to know that the latter was feeling guilty. "But I am so glad to see you again, Guilmon." Takato added, with happiness in his voice. Guilmon's ears sprang back up again as he hugged his Tamer in joy, completely forgetting the incident.

"Nice to see you again Takato." Henry Wong said. "I'm glad we followed Guilmon when he ran off." The boy let out a smile.

"Nice to see you are alright, Henry." Takato said. Another awfully familiar Digimon materialized on Henry's shoulder. "TERRIERMON!"

"I know you are all happy to see the star, but don't need to get so mushy, I have had enough of it for one day." The bunny replied.

"Actually Terriermon," the blue-haired boy said. "There wasn't anything _mushy_ about us coming back together."

"I know," The green Digimon replied. "But Takato and Guilmon should make up for it."

Henry sighed. "I don't know how your mind works sometimes."

"Momentai."

"You know, I'm regretting ever teaching you the word."

"_Words_, Henry. Momentai is three words in Cantonese, isn't it?"

"Great. Now I regret ever saving you." Takato grimaced. _Ouch._

"Henry!" Terriermon whined. "I..."

"Will you two quit it!" An extremely annoyed voice of Rika said before Terriermon could continue. "I have had enough!"

Fortunately, and unfortunately, before Rika could go on, an explosion was heard.

* * *

Ryo was jogging toward the location of where Cyberdramon was about to land when he heard a Digimon shout an attack name.

"Hyper Cannon!" Instinct took over Ryo as he strafed to one side, the shockwave of the explosion propelling him. His eyes darted to the source, where a huge metal tank was showing a grin that indicated the Digimon believed he had already won. _We'll see about that._

His lower jaw, the only part of him visible that was not metal, was down, showing teeth that look like they have been filed to the sharpness that they possessed. It was also the only part of the Digimon that looked out of place, giving Ryo the shivers when he saw how odd the grin looked. Ryo noted that this Digimon was not exactly in the right state of mind. He seemed... sadistic. _Not good when you are a walking assault base. _Ryo thought.

The Digimon leveled his arm cannons at Ryo before he could even recover. There wasn't time to hold up his D-Power to find data on this Digimon.

"Machinegun Arm!"

The guns clicked and the air was abruptly filled with metal slugs launched from the arm cannon, glowing red as they were overheated by whatever that propelled them. Ryo used the momentum from the explosion earlier to continue a forward roll away from the bullets piercing the ground behind him, and not foolishly try to get to his feet. The bullets followed him relentlessly. Just as they were about to hit him, his feet met the ground as he completed the roll and he sprang to his feet and ran.

He knew that he could not outrun the bullets for long, and it was a miracle that he had been thus far unharmed. He ran forward at full speed. The bullets singed past him hair's breath away. The Digimon followed him with his arm, guns blazing. Ryo abruptly felt a single bullet hit his unshielded leg. Unlike his partner, he did not have thick scales that will allow the bullets to ping off them harmlessly. His was only skin, albeit digitalized skin, and that did not provide much protection from the red hot bullets. Pain shot up his leg. He did not managed to bite back his yell of pain, and he lost his balance. He fell face first to the ground, but still he kept moving forward, crawling on his arms and keeping his head down.

The bullets zinged past above his head as the Digimon swept his gun arm past Ryo's position. He felt his hair stand on end, an all too familiar feeling that indicated he _may_ be going to get out of this with more than just his leg injury. And that was a big _may_. Silently, he hoped that Cyberdramon was on his way, Ryo didn't know how long his injured leg could keep up with his need to move fast until it failed him completely.

The gunfire stopped for a while. Ryo looked at the Digimon, who still had the gun trained on him. The Digimon laughed out loud.

"Impressive indeed." The Digimon said with admiration. Ryo, unfortunately, would not be able to make use of that. "Not many _Digimon_ would even survive the first blast long enough to know that it was I who deleted them. Very impressive indeed... for a mere human. You truly are as they say, the Legendary Ryo Akiyama."

Ryo kept silent, slowly being himself to his feet, very much aware of the gun that could pop his head off in one shot if he made any sudden movements. At last, he overcame the initial shock and regained enough of his wits to speak again. "Who are you? Why did you attack me so foolishly? Didn't you know that if I were here, Cyberdramon would be around somewhere?"

The colour of the Digimon's face paled considerably, as he thought about what Ryo had said. After a few moments and some nervous glances around, the Digimon restored the annoying grin to his face. "Nevertheless, I will have you deleted before he can ever arrive. As to why I attacked you, if I delete you, Lord V-" The Digimon abruptly cut off, preventing the name of his lord from being revealed. Ryo raised an eyebrow, one that was joined by a grimace when his brain registered the pain in his leg. "... my lord will reward me with a place on the Council for sure!"

"What Council?" Ryo inquired.

The Digimon grinned even more widely, and replied, "Why don't you find out yourself... after I've absorbed your data!"

The gun clicked once again and went full auto. It suddenly dawned on Ryo that the little accident with the Digimon almost saying his lord's name was a trap, one to make him become curious and lower his guard... and Ryo had fallen right into it. Ryo silently cursed himself as he tried to avoid the new barrage. His good leg accidentally tripped on his injured one when the latter failed to comply quickly enough with Ryo's lightning fast reactions. That caused him to slip on the sandy ground and land painfully on his back, in the process dodging the first wave.

However, that left him trapped, and with no way out other than deletion. Never before did he so regret the loss of his Chrome Digizoid arm device.

* * *

The reunited group hurried over to the source of the explosion, following the sounds of gunfire and the sudden scream that made their blood chill in their veins. They arrived at the scene to witness a metal Digimon towering over a Ryo who was backing away from the gun right in his face.

Takato heard Cyberdramon let out an enraged roar that shook his head violently and was sure he had momentarily gone deaf.

The wind swept up sand as Cyberdramon lifted off and flew right at the Digimon at full speed. Takato held up his D-Power on the Digimon.

"Tankmon, Champion level, attacks are Hyper Cannon and Machinegun Arm." He read off his D-Power's projected screen.

Looking up, Takato's eyes found Cyberdramon ramming into the hard metal of the Tankmon's armour, and surprisingly sending the Champion off his wheels and into the dirt.

Suddenly having switched positions of predator and prey, Tankmon became desperate. "Machinegun Arm!"

The bullets flew from the arm cannon and, just like Ryo assumed, bounced off Cyberdramon without even visibly having any effect whatsoever. No, there was an effect. Cyberdramon seemed more annoyed.

"You..." Cyberdramon growled. "You will pay for hurting Ryo." The following statement was spoken with calm unlike Cyberdramon, one that seemed awfully like the calm before the storm.

Takato was right, for at the next second, all hell broke loose.

Cyberdramon picked up Tankmon with ease, and flung the latter into the air. Cyberdramon then proceeded to send Desolation Claws at the flying Digimon. The attacks struck the Digimon such accuracy and brutality that it left Takato rooted to his feet.

It was only when Henry nudged him in Ryo's direction did he pull his eyes away from the battle. _No. _Takato thought as he recalled how Cyberdramon had slashed his claws through Tankmon's metal armor like paper. He shuttered. _No. This is slaughter._

Takato had never fully grasped just how dangerous Cyberdramon was, and just how difficult the Ultimate was to control. He had always thought of Cyberdramon as a Guilmon who had gone feral, one that would become his friend again when he had snapped him out of it. Cyberdramon's Rookie form certainly gave him the wrong impression. Though Monodramon _was_ just like Guilmon, Cyberdramon was not just like Guilmon feral at all. Megidramon fitted the Ultimate as the best example. Thinking about having to tend and restrain a Megidramon every day for a year in the Digital World was just... Takato just couldn't grasp the idea.

Henry and Takato got to a badly injured Ryo, one who was struggling to get up on his leg which was bleeding not just blood but data too. The sight of both reminded Takato that they were digitalized, but still human. And the sight of the bleeding leg made Takato's head feel light.

It was then that Takato heard someone laugh aloud. He was about to turn around and scold Impmon when he found out who exactly was laughing.

Rika.

Takato's jaw dropped. _No... way._ Everyone was silent, even the one-sided battle between Tankmon and Cyberdramon came to a halt. All watched Rika have the happiest time that they ever knew she could have.

_Of all people, Rika is the most... I mean, what on Earth is she laughing at?_ Rika kept on laughing until she slowly came to a halt. Takato even noticed Renamon staring, disbelief written all over the yellow fox's face. Renamon's surprise added to Takato's growing shock.

"Oh." was all that she said once she stopped. _If this is a distraction, it's working perfectly. _Henry seemed to be thinking the same thing, for he was looking around for the surprise attacker. None came. Then, Takato realised that no one in their right mind would distract Cyberdramon _feral._ Unfortunately, it was not Cyberdramon that attacked next but Tankmon.

The tank levelled his nose cannon at Rika, and before anyone could do anything at all, the cannon fired. "Hyper Cannon!"

* * *

**Sorry I took so long. I had a writer's block.**

**Not the best of chapters, but still, tell me what you think.**


	15. Rika's Past

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Digimon, but I do own the plot, and DRAGOON.

* * *

_**Digimon Continuity**_

**Quest for the Digimon  
**

Chapter 15

_Rika's Past_

* * *

**_:_. Digital Plane - Desert Plane**

**02:31 PM JST**

Rika went into shock as the barrel of the cannon turned to her. She looked directly into its glowing hole as the blast charged up. Around her, friends went into similar shock at both her and the new attack. She heard Renamon somewhere yelling for her to get down. Her mind however was disconnected from her body. Rika had never truly feared before in her entire experience as a Tamer, but she had also never looked directly into a gun that was about to fire and blow her dead.

In the corner of her eye, she saw Renamon jumping toward her, trying to get her out of the line of fire. _Renamon wouldn't make it. _she realised. The blast would hit her and take her apart just like DRAGOON's did Cerberumon. She gulped at the thought. _In the next second, that is going to happen._

Suddenly, a glowing energy whip wrapped itself around the barrel of the gun. As the whip tightened, she could see the inside of barrel getting squeezed inward. It pulled the cannon toward the person handling the whip. _Akiyama._

Renamon hit her to the ground the instant the cannon exploded. Rika could see the bright yellowish light that erupted from the cannon, not hindered by the compression of the barrel. Ryo Akiyama was on his feet, and he pushed the Gogglehead and Brainiac into safety, before a single card flew through his D-Power's card slot so fast she would have believed that she was seeing things were it not for the fact that the effects of the card were present a split second later.

Cyberdramon flew in front of his Tamer with his hands outstretched, and a glowing energy shield materialized around the Ultimate. The shield dispersed the energy blast into harmless sparks and it disappeared.

If Cyberdramon was not mad already, he would surely be now. And _now,_ he was beyond mad. He had just turned into Megidramon... a berserk one at that. "_You. You dare attack Ryo!_" It was not a question, it was a statement. Although Rika did not know much about Cyberdramon, she knew enough that by now, Tankmon was already as good as data.

Cyberdramon began to charge up energy on his claws. Rika recognised the attack, and she had only seen it used once before, on a Megadramon.

"Desolation Claw!" A beam of powerful erasing energy erupted from Cyberdramon's claws.

"Machinegun Arms! Hyper Cannon!" Tankmon fired all his weapons in an attempt to counter the Ultimate's attack. His downfall, however, was brought on by using his Hyper Cannon, whose barrel had already melted. The blast ended up blowing up in Tankmon's face, and his deletion finally arrived when the beam hit him. Less than a second later, Tankmon was no more.

Cyberdramon didn't even look to ensure his successful deletion of Tankmon. He turned next to Rika and Renamon, the aura about him blazing with the fire of insanity and rage. He pointed an unnaturally sharp claw at them. "_You! It is your fault that fool attacked Ryo! I will make you pay!_"

Once upon a time, she would have been amused that Cyberdramon could talk so much. Most definitely not today, when she was guilty of causing the attack on Ryo, even though it didn't hit. Being guilty in Cyberdramon's eyes meant deletion.

Renamon picked her up and pulled her to her feet. Rika barely heard her next words.

"Rika! RUN!"

Still, her feet stayed rooted in the ground, her insides screaming in protest at the accusation. She could not voice it out. If she did, she may get an even heavier charge of guilt.

Before anything else could happen, a hoarse voice exclaimed. "CYBERDRAMON! STOP!"

* * *

_**:.**_** Real World - Japan, Tokyo, Tokyo Metropolitan Towers  
Main Control Room**

**02:32 PM JST**

In the control room of the Hypnos towers, the only people around were Hypno's leader and its two main operatives. The parents were in a room just below this room, so that the leader would be free to do what he usually did without outsiders interfering. Yelling.

"GET ME A LINK WITH THE D-TERMINAL THINGS NOW!!" Yamaki thundered, its effects enhanced by the echoes of the high ceiling.

"On it, sir." Riley calmly replied. Yamaki got even angrier by her calm tone. _Doesn't she know that each second wasted is one that can quite possibly kill the kids?_

Tally repeated the same thing, albeit with a little tremble in her voice.

"HURRY UP! I WANTED IT TEN MINUTES AGO!" Of course, it was not exactly true, but he had to get them to learn a little something called urgency. "AND I _ORDERED _YOU TO GET ME ALL THE DATA YOU CAN FIND ON THAT SHOW! WHERE IS IT?!"

He could have sworn he heard Riley sigh. "On the way sir. I am putting it onscreen now."

_Good. _He mentally commented. He would however, never comment them openly. That would inflate their ego... well, not that they _had_ it... the strict Yamaki would anyway only comment them on a good job when both worlds collide.

On the main screen, an image materialised as the Bioemerging monitoring screen disappeared. The person in the image had a rather strange hairstyle. His appearance made him look like one who was very carefree, but his eyes, they held a look that clashed with what his appearance suggested. His eyes told Yamaki, even though it was only a picture, that the man was under much stress. And if the picture alone suggested this, the guy must be in _a lot _of stress.

"Who's he?"

"Sir, this is the original producer of the show sir. He was the one who came up with the idea for it in the first place." Riley replied.

"No Riley." His voice carried a little irritation and frustration. "I meant, _who_ is he."

Yamaki imagined Riley blushing at her mistake. He stifled a laugh.

"Umm... Yes sir." She pressed a few more buttons, and a line of text rolled down the screen. "Sir, his name is Taichi Kamiya, born in 1988, studied in Odaiba Elementary in 1994 to 2000..."

Upon hearing the kid's birth date, Yamaki was surprised. He had expected the person to be at least forty, with all the stress that he could see bottled in. _No kid has that much stress, even if he's one of those study types or something._ Of course, this did not change what his usual response would be, as every good leader knows how to hide his emotions and thoughts well.

"Get to the point Riley. Where is he living?"

Yamaki imagined Riley blushing at her mistake, and stifled a laugh.

"Umm... Yes sir." A few more clicks of the complicated keyboard that the operators... operated were heard. "Sir."

"Don't keep me in suspense, Riley. You know how I hate suspense."

"Yes sir." The screen changed to show a government profile of this Taichi person, along side with the police profile of him.

"Why are you giving me the police one, Riley?" That in itself was strange, as the government profile already had everything the police one had and more.

"Sir, strangely, the government profile has only one thing."

She pressed a button, and the entirety of the government profile turned red and was replaced by a single word: Classified.

Yamaki growled his answer and coated it with sarcasm. "Why don't you just access it then? We are not Hypnos for no reason you know."

"I have tried sir, but the access is only granted to those of the highest rank: those _in charge of the state_ sir." the last few words came out as barely a whisper, but Yamaki heard it, and he felt as though someone had punched him.

_Someone beat us to it. No wonder this guy looks so stressed out. He's as good as an outlaw in this situation. _Apparently, Riley must have sensed his disappointment, for the next statement was meant to lift that disappointment.

"Sir, but according to the police records, Taichi Kamiya went missing about a year and the half ago, about the time when the second last Digimon movie was released..."

But it didn't. It made it worse. _Great. They got him two years ago. We never stood a chance._

"... and I have been digging around sir, and I found this."

The image of Taichi Kamiya was replaced by that of a red-haired _kid_. There was no mistaking it, it was a _kid_. Yamaki hit the roof.

"RILEY! WHAT IS A KID DOING ON MY SCREEN?!"

Tally visibly shuttered. Riley, however, stayed as cool as a cucumber. "Sir, you didn't mind the earlier _kid_."

Yamaki glared at her. However powerful the glare, it failed for a few reasons: Yamaki had his sunglasses on, Riley her visor, and that she was not looking at him.

"I didn't mind the earlier _kid_ as he at least _looked_ old enough." Yamaki said, before increasing his volume again. "Now, WHAT IS HE DOING ON MY SCREEN?!"

He saw Riley grimace. "Sir, he is the co-producer of the show sir. In fact, he was the one who created the entire graphics, all by himself."

"What is he? A genius or something?"

"Sir, he is Koushiro Izumi, born in 1989..." She had learnt her lesson, for she did not continue on with the fella's life story and went exactly to what Yamaki needed. "...he disappeared along with the entire cast of the show ten months ago, and only reappeared just the week before last. His current whereabouts are unknown after that. His house is situated in Odaiba, where he lives with his parents."

Riley turned her face to him. It was only to give the impression she was looking at him, as the internal part of her visor would only show her what was on the screen. "And as to your question sir," he could detect a faint amusement in her voice. "...Koushiro Izumi scored 132 on an I.Q. test."

Yamaki's jaw dropped. Silence ensued Riley's declaration.

After a long while, too long, Tally broke it. "Sir, I have a faint connection with DRAGOON's frequency in the Digital World. You have to listen to this."

* * *

**_:_. Digital Plane - Desert Plane**

**02:33 PM JST**

Ryo as suddenly appeared in front of Rika as his whip had. He had his hands outstretched, trying to cover as much of her and Renamon as possible with himself.

"Cyberdramon! STOP!" He yelled again.

_AKIYAMA! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!_ She mentally screamed, her mouth not responding to her brain. _YOU ARE GOING TO GET YOURSELF KILLED!_

Cyberdramon completely ignored his Tamer's words. Charging his claws, he sent his attack at his own Tamer.

"Desolation Claw!"

There was a gust of wind, as the Zero-Arms DRAGOON swept down right in front of Ryo to block the attacks his Digimon were launching at him.

DRAGOON was a tiny bit too late. Ryo took one of the attacks in his gut before DRAGOON got to the former... an attack that was meant for her... And she had laughed at him mere seconds before at his injury.

Her gaze fell. She did not need to look to know that Cyberdramon had ceased his attacks. She did not _want _to look at the damage she had caused to Ryo. She felt guilt beyond measure, her eyes began to water. The tears did not fall by sheer strength of will alone... not that it mattered.

The aura around Cyberdramon changed from rage to immediate guilt. Guilt that he had attacked his own Tamer, Rika felt that her guilt was worse... a lot worse.

So while everyone ran forth to check on Ryo, she stayed where she was, with only Renamon by her side.

* * *

"Ryo!" Takato ran forward to the older boy.

He was amazingly, still on his feet, clutching his stomach wound where his hand tried to stomp the flow of blood and data. Ryo's mouth was an upside down of a smile, but it was not due to anger. Takato noticed Rika with her head down, and Renamon with her paw on her Tamer's shoulder. It _was_ a victory, they had defeated the Tankmon. It didn't _feel_ like it.

Henry reached Ryo first, and placed an arm under the dirty blonde's own to steady him. Ryo collapsed into Henry, barely conscious. Takato rushed forward and draped Ryo's other arm over his shoulders, while he used his free hand to try and do what Ryo's hand had been doing.

It was a gruesome thing, the mix of blood and data left Takato sick in his stomach. He wished that he hadn't eaten so much of lunch today. Takato took a look around. Kazu and Kenta were standing where they were with open mouths, Impmon and the other Digimon were on Guilmon, trying to get a good look at Ryo's wounds. Cyberdramon was on his knees, head down just like Rika was. DRAGOON was talking about something to Henry, Takato couldn't understand what they were saying. It all seemed blurry to him.

Finally, he shook his head and cleared the mental fog clouding it. Henry turned to him with urgency written all over.

"Alright Takato, I need you to help me get Ryo into DRAGOON."

"What? Why?" was his reply.

"So that we can go home and get him a doctor."

"A doctor isn't going to be able to help with a data wound."

"There is no other choice!"

Then, Kazu came in the conversation. "Hey! We can't leave without Guardromon!" He gestured to the rest of the group. "Everyone but Guardromon is here. And I won't leave here without Guardromon!"

Takato looked back at Henry, and him to Takato. They were out of ideas.

DRAGOON overheard the conversation. "I have found a place to recuperate. I can bring the boy there first, along with a few more to tend to him. The rest can follow my signal on foot there."

Henry frowned. The same thing was going through Takato's mind. _Good idea, but who's going? None of us know medical stuff._

There was a bright light, and all of them turned to it to find a humanoid Digimon emerge from it. Everyone was on their guard in an instant, but Renamon stepped forward.

"Don't worry, he is Cyberdramon, I saw him dedigivolve."

Ryo apparently, wasn't reassured. He pulled himself from both Henry's and Takato's arms. Then, Ryo did the last thing anyone expected... he started yelling.

"Strikedramon! What are you doing?! Who gave you permission to come out?!"

"Ryo, I..."

"Don't 'I' me Strikedramon." Ryo continued. "Digivolve or dedigivolve NOW!"

"But..."

"NO BUTS!! THAT IS AN ORDER!!"

For the first time in his life, Takato thought he heard something in Ryo's voice that he had never heard before: fear. _Ryo is afraid. _he realised. _Just like I was when Guilmon became Megidramon... but... why?_

Abruptly, a seizure seized Ryo and his knees lost their ability to support his weight. Strikedramon moved with a speed that only Renamon could match, and caught the older boy even before his knees touched the ground.

Ryo pushed his partner away, and managed to stand again. "I said NOW!"

Strikedramon's head lowered, and his words came out as a whisper. "Yes Ryo, but only after you have been treated."

If there was a look that could mix pain with anger and fear, that would be what was on Ryo's face then.

"I SAID..."

Ryo never finished his sentence, because Strikedramon's next words stunned practically everyone.

"There is a data storm approaching in five minutes. We have to hurry to that shelter."

Ryo's eyes narrowed, while Henry looked around in panic.

"Where?!" The blue haired boy asked. "How do you know?"

Ryo's eyes narrowed even further into slits. "Yes, how _do _you know?"

"I have been here for a while, and the data storms are based on the overload of users of the Internet in the Real World. I merely remembered the exact time."

Ryo looked like he was about to say something, but Takato himself cut in. "Well then what are we waiting for?! Let's get as many people into DRAGOON as possible and get going!"

Ryo suddenly remembered his injuries and slumped down again, all the fight within him used up.

Henry nodded. "Yes, those with fast Digimon can stay out of DRAGOON and still keep up, but the others have to go into DRAGOON. We have to risk slowing him down, but we have not much of a choice."

Strikedramon's head turned to face DRAGOON. "What is the distance from here to the shelter? What is your maximum speed with..." Strikedramon looked around. "... approximately 600kg of load?"

Takato was still working out the maths when DRAGOON replied. "There is about 20km to the target. I am a light assault unit, and my original purpose was to carry the Tamers back to the Real World, not be fast. With my new additions, I can guarantee that my _minimum_ max speed will be 70km/h, able to last for a week. My maximum speed will be 100km/h with the load, but I will exhaust all power in ten minutes and need a recharging cycle that will last at least 6 hours... and that is presuming I will not have to enter Battle Mode."

Strikedramon nodded. "I and Kyuubimon will run, all others will take DRAGOON."

No one asked who was going to ride Kyuubimon with Rika. Everyone was afraid that she might do... something.

* * *

"Rika!... RIKA!!"

That shook her out of her guilty trance.

She looked up to see everyone staring at her. Still, guilt didn't stop her from rebuking. "What? I got something on my face or something?" She used a tone that implied that she did not expect to have anything on her face.

Everyone lost interest in her and begun boarding the side door of DRAGOON. Renamon rested a hand on her shoulder.

"Are you alright?" she asked with concern.

Rika nodded.

"Why did you..." Renamon hesitated. "...act that way just now?"

On noticing a few heads turning, she lowered her voice. "I'll tell you later."

Renamon looked back at the other Tamers, who hastily found somewhere else to look. She then nodded and continued. "So are you going to Digivolve me?"

Rika was expressionless. "Yes." She withdrew a card from her deck and swiped it though her D-Power. "Digi-Modify. Evolution Plug-In E. Activate."

DIGIVOLUTION

"Renamon! Digivolve!..."

She glowed brightly as a sphere engulfed her, as she became four-legged and her built changed to be more agile. Her tail split into nine and the Digivolution was complete.

"... Kyuubimon!"

Rika mounted on Kyuubimon, glad that her partner at least was able to reach her Champion level. She realised with a jerk that one Digimon she did not recognise was not in DRAGOON, warming up.

"Who are you?" came the instantaneous question.

The Digimon looked back at her with... a glare? She didn't have enough time to identify it before the Digimon looked away toward a direction that DRAGOON was flying.

"My name is Strikedramon, and I am Ryo's partner's Champion form."

She did not have time to be further surprised, for Kyuubimon suddenly launched forward, and Rika had to duck and stay close to her partner to avoid getting blown away.

Strikedramon kept up with Kyuubimon easily, whose speed was kept down by Rika's weight.

Strikedramon and Kyuubimon appeared to have a silent competition. At times, Strikedramon would lead ahead, and Kyuubimon would increase her speed to be nose to nose with the former. Sometimes it was vice-versa.

She smiled at the match, then deciding that she would help Kyuubimon. With difficulty, she drew another card and swiped it through her D-Power, careful to keep a tight grip on Kyuubimon's fur and her D-Power.

"Digi-Modify! High Speed Plug-In B! Activate!"

Kyuubimon abruptly increased in speed, pinning Rika to her back. The fox easily took the lead. Any emotion of contentment that she felt then was cut short when data streams started to close in.

Ahead, she saw DRAGOON land at the base of a rock formation that looked like an abandoned satellite dish. It was ruins compared to the last time Rika saw it. And it was the only one left of the entire lot. Others were just... craters and slumps of rock. Proof of the battle against the D-Reaper was present here.

Kyuubimon and Strikedramon ignored all, and ran top speed toward the rock in which DRAGOON had landed. There was a data stream right behind them, closing in with each passing second. She could see some of her friends gesturing for her to hurry.

Strikedramon finally demonstrated the full capabilities of his speed. While Kyuubimon was already exhausted, Strikedramon still seemed to be in tip top shape. He looked as though he was just beginning. He ran forward faster than Kyuubimon could ever manage with Rika mounted, and at a speed that Kyuubimon could only barely match without her.

The distance between the cave entrance and Kyuubimon appeared to extend, stretching. It now seemed impossible to make it. Kyuubimon made one last jump, covering the impossible distance and entering the mouth of the cave within the rock as the data steam swept harmlessly past and over.

She lay with her back on the ground, having being launched off Kyuubimon when the latter landed. Her breath came in short bursts, and her vision blurry from knocking her head. A face looked down on her in concern. She was about to push it away when her vision focused and she recognised Renamon's face.

Rika relaxed and let exhaustion take her.

* * *

**_:_. Digital Plane - Desert Plane, Cave  
DRAGOON**

**02:46 PM JST**

Ryo kept his happiness that Strikedramon made it to himself.

He still was not sure. Strikedramon had his arch enemy and true partner's intelligence, and still had that loyalty to him. But still, he was uncertain whether or not Millenniummon was still inside one of Monodramon's forms.

It unsettled him beyond anything else, to think that his partner had part of his old enemy within him. That his partner could turn on him at any instant. That was why he preferred not to let Cyberdramon access any other forms. Ryo learnt to handle Cyberdramon instead, rather than risk the chance of Monodramon turning into Millenniummon.

Monodramon's appearance when they entered the Arc was unexpected, but it allowed Ryo to be certain of Monodramon's innocence and that he was free of Millenniummon's interference.

Cyberdramon had a few bad points, but nothing that Ryo couldn't handle.

Strikedramon worried Ryo most, for he had most of Millenniummon's characteristics and is the one that Millenniummon would most likely prefer to possess.

Despite the jogress being successful, there was always a fear of Millenniummon still in control. This fear lead to more and now, this.

He watched as Strikedramon leaned against the wall, an accurate imitation of Renamon when she was resting. Ryo tried to look at the positive side, that Strikedramon was still as fast as Ryo remembered, but it further added to his suspicions and never-ending dread.

Ryo decided that he would just... observe for now, and save his judgments for later... if there was a later.

* * *

**_:_. Digital Plane - Desert Plane, Cave**

**08:29 PM JST**

Rika sighed as she leaned against a wall of the cave. By an unspoken consent, all had decided to take a nap until the data storm passed.

Ryo's wounds were... painfully sealed up by Guilmon in DRAGOON. Ryo had demanded that Impmon _burn_ his skin back together to stop the bleeding. Impmon himself was sick, such that even now he was still puking.

The other Tamers looked like they had turned into ghosts. Their faces were pale, and they all avoided looking at Ryo.

Ryo's face was just a grimace of pain. She admired the tolerance of pain that Ryo had developed during his time in the Digital World. Renamon finally came over.

"Rika, are you going to..."

"Yes." Renamon needn't continue. "I just need some time."

Renamon obliged. She remained patient while Rika composed herself.

"Renamon..." her voice was now a whisper. "... you know I... well... hate Ryo, right?"

Renamon inclined her head. "It was... obvious."

"Do you know... why?"

Renamon did her version of a frown. "Because he won the tournament?"

Rika shook her head slowly. "No... that was only part the reason..."

Renamon's eyes went wide.

Rika continued. "It happened a long time ago Renamon, but I still remember it as clearly as if it happened yesterday."

* * *

_A Rika Nonaka that was only four years old followed her father into an ally, where he had brought her many times before. It was a shortcut back home. Rika was skipping along, after a particularly happy day at the fun fair. _

_"Did you enjoy yourself, Rika?" her father asked.  
_

_"Yes, Daddy."_

_"Good." he replied._

_Suddenly, a fog materialized around them, too quickly to be natural. _

_"That's weird." Her father said. "Stay close Rika, you don't want to get lost." She hugged herself to her father's leg. _

_"Yes, Daddy." she said with fear. A laugh of menace echoed around the walls of the ally. Her father hugged her closer._

_"Who's there?!"_

_"Ha, ha, ha. Humans. Perfect for my next meal."_

_"Meal?" A white devil-like monster appeared in front of her father. He started to back away. A bright light appeared in the fog, and from it, two beings emerged._

_"Where are we?" the taller of the two asked._

_"I don't know." replied the shorter one._

_The devil monster turned to the newcomers. "Who are you? How dare you interrupt my meal?"_

_"Meal?" the shorter one repeated. "Oh boy! I want to eat too!"_

_"Ha! Go catch yourself your own human."_

_The taller one stopped in his tracks when he was turning back into the light. "Human?"_

_"You are stupid, aren't you?" The devil monster said. "Yes. Human."_

_The shorter one now spoke. "You eat humans?!" _

_Her father whispered for her to back away, and run when he said so._

_"YES! IS THERE A PROBLEM?!" the devil lost his temper._

_The tall one now fully turned around. "I have a problem. With you eating humans."_

_"What are you going to do about it? Attack me? You are just a human." The tall one stepped into the light and the shadow that had covered his face lifted. The tall one was a boy, no more than twelve. He had dirty blonde hair and a serious face. The short one appeared as well, shown to be a tiny dragon with sharp claws. Rika backed away, while her father choked as the devil abruptly grabbed his neck. The devil looked at her father's face. "Don't think you can escape from me that easily now, can you?"_

_The boy's eyes widened before narrowing again. "Put him down, IceDevimon."_

_The monster known as IceDevimon smiled. "Fine." he replied._

_Her father was flung into the wall and IceDevimon lunged at the boy. The blonde took a device from his belt and swiped a card through a card slot there. A shield appeared around the boy and the dragon and IceDevimon bounced off it. A light shone and from the shield emerged the dragon, except he was as tall as the boy now and was glowing with a blue flame._

_"Strike Fang!" The dragon hit IceDevimon and sent the devil to the wall, where he found Rika's unconscious father._

_"Urgh..." IceDevimon growled. "You are strong, but not strong enough..." He picked up Rika's father. "... after I've consumed this human!"_

_The boy appeared shocked. "NO!"_

_Her father gave one last cry. "Run! NOW! RUN!"_

_In an instant, her father disappeared, becoming small pieces and entering IceDevimon. Her mouth was open in a wordless cry. That attracted the devil to her. "We shall fight after I have finished with the girl!"_

_The boy jumped in front of her, shielding her with himself. "I WON"T LET YOU!"_

_The devil smiled again. "Then I shall consume you as well."_

_The dragon appeared so fast that no one saw him and slammed into IceDevimon with a full body flame tackle._

_The boy who was twice her height gestured the way that they had come from. "Through there, Strikedramon! Hurry! Before he can hurt anyone else!" Strikedramon grabbed the ice devil and jumped into the light._

_The boy turned around and squatted, facing her. "Are you alright?" he asked. She nodded her head, unable to speak. He let out a sigh of relief and walked to the source of the light. The boy turned back and gave an apologetic look at her. "I'm... sorry."_

_With that, he entered the light and it disappeared. With his absence, the fog lifted and it was as though nothing had happened, nothing except her father was nowhere to be seen. Four year old Rika began to cry._

* * *

Rika sighed as tears began to gather in her eyes. Renamon was sad herself.

Finally, after an eternity of silence from the two and snoring from Guilmon, Renamon spoke. "So..." her voice was a whisper as well, not to prevent awakening the others, but because she could not find the strength to make it go any louder. "... your father... died at the hands of a Digimon?"

Rika nodded. "IceDevimon."

Renamon instantly flared. Now she wished beyond anything that Guilmon was not the one who deleted IceDevimon but her, and she wanted to make it slow and painful, and keep repeating the process until she was satisfied.

"So, you think that that boy is... Ryo?"

Rika shook her head. "Renamon, I _know_ it isn't Ryo. It happened over six years ago. If it was Ryo, he would be eighteen by now."

"What did your mother or grandmother say when you told them."

Rika's head dropped. "My mother told me never to tell lies again and that Dad had left them for another girl. Grandma seemed to believe me, but I think that she doubted me too."

_No wonder she hates her mother so much._

"Then why did you tell me that story if it wasn't Ryo." The instant Renamon said it, she regretted it. She should have not been blunt.

Rika didn't seem to mind. "Because... Ryo _looks_ so much _like _him. Even their partners are the same. Sometimes, I forget the age difference and think that they are the same person. I from that day on really hated blonde people, as it always reminded me of that guy."

Renamon frowned. "But he saved you."

Rika blew her top. "NO HE DID NOT! HE CAUSED DAD TO DIE! IF HE DID NOT COME, DAD MAY STILL BE ALIVE!!"

Renamon looked around nervously, but all the Tamers were deep sleepers, not one of them came out to check. "Okay, Rika."

Rika's head fell again. "That is why I laughed at Ryo just now. You see, I've always wanted to hurt Ryo, make him pay for something he didn't do. But... I don't want to hurt him. He is... my friend..."

Renamon could have fainted. Declaring Ryo her friend was the last thing she expected Rika Nonaka to do.

"... and all the things he had done, to try and get me out of the house. He was company, when no one wanted to come, he came alone. I... have always kind of expected him. He was someone to yell at, to vent my frustrations on... But still, I can't help but blame him for that boy. So, when he was hurt by Tankmon, I was so happy that I couldn't compress it..."

She looked even guiltier. "And I am not even right to hate the boy even. He had saved me, otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to meet you, Renamon." She gave Renamon a warm smile. "So... I was completely wrong to have laughed at Ryo."

Once upon a time, Rika would never have admitted to making such a mistake, and find any way to shift the blame. She had changed... for the better. Renamon decided that it was enough. She pushed Rika to relax and lean on the wall. The redhead obliged.

"Rest, Rika. I understand."

"Thank you, Renamon." Rika hesitated. "You don't..."

"No one blames you, Rika. No one."

Rika nodded, her eyelids drooped, and she fell asleep.

* * *

**That was rather interesting, wouldn't you say?**

**So people, I think that this should have justified Rika's... laughing act. As for those reading Brave Tamer as well, don't worry. I'll include this scene... at some point. Also, major spoiler! I am showing you guys part of Aftermath of 02 here. And how 02 and Tamers join. Not bad huh?  
**

**Also, I have finally introduced Strikedramon! Monodramon's Champion form, that only I have ever truly explored on. There will be more frequent appearance of him compared to the others from now on, but...**

**Thanks to the following for reviewing.**

**erinsgirl**

**Maskmon'**

**Anon**

**Matt Lans**

**I hope that you guys will review again and tell me what you think. As well as all those who are reading.  
**


	16. The Secret is Out

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Digimon, but I do own the plot, and DRAGOON.

* * *

_**Digimon Continuity**_

**Quest for the Digimon  
**

Chapter 16

_The Secret is Out_

* * *

**_:_. Digital Plane - Desert Plane  
DRAGOON**

**02:47 PM JST**

Ryo settled down on the side of DRAGOON's interior. Though DRAGOON was technically at rest after depleting all of his current power and recharging, his interior systems were alive with activity. Ryo recalled when they had entered DRAGOON first how they were awed by the complexity of the systems, especially Henry.

There were three screens nearer to the front of the interior, acting like a cockpit. Each screen showed a view from DRAGOON's front, left and right respectively. Right in the front of the middle screen was a keyboard and a chair. Henry was currently typing away on the computer, so focused in what he was doing that he seemed to forget that Ryo was there. Which was a good thing... on his part anyway. Ryo could still remember the faces of his friends and the Digimon when he suggested the idea of _burning_ himself to _heal_ himself. The first thing they said was that it was the most ridiculous idea they had ever heard.

Still, they had carried it out and now Ryo bore a scar that marked where his wound used to be. Ryo remembered screaming his lungs out when the fire touched his skin. Henry had instantly swiped a Shellmon that allowed Terriermon to cool the burning skin with a Hydro Pressure's running water, though the bunny did not use it to full power. His shin wound they simply bound it up with cloth, rather than witness another horrible burning session. _At least one good thing came out of this, Impmon wouldn't be burning any flesh any time soon. _He thought, concealing a grin at his own joke. The pain of the wound struck again and this time a grimace took his features.

Strikedramon stepped forward from the shadows, but Ryo waved him away. The former stopped halfway and slowly backed away. _Now about Strikedramon. What am I going to do with him?_ He questioned himself worriedly, though he knew well enough not to expect an answer. Strikedramon proceeded to lean against the wall in an imitation of Renamon again, but still kept an eye on Ryo himself. _Right now, I don't know whether he is keeping an eye on me to see when I'm weakest or to make sure that I'm aright._

_I have never really used Strikedramon before. Who knows what the jogress with Millenniumon could have done to him? _He let himself heave a sigh, though not so obvious that it would attract the purple dragon's attention again. _In the past, I would have never even doubted him for a second. I can't believe that I trust Cyberdramon more than him, though they are still the same Digimon, but their personalities defer so much. At least with Cyberdramon, I now know what to expect... but... _Ryo's eyes narrowed. _I wish that I am in a better condition than I am in now. If Millenniumon is controlling the form of Strikedramon... _

_No. _Another part of him thought._ He would much rather have Cyberdramon, he is more powerful._

_But,_ Ryo argued. _Strikedramon is more knowledgeable, faster, quicker and more calm. Almost exactly like Millenniummon. If there is any one of the three, Monodramon, Strikedramon and Cyberdramon, personalities that he would choose, he would choose Strikedramon without a doubt._

_No. _The other part thought. _Millenniummon likes power, he would prefer a more powerful form compared to a less powerful one._

_Millenniummon can easily find a source to increase his power, what he needs is brains, not brawn. Power he can get later. What he needs now is to plan, and who better to do so than Strikedramon, with his ability to calculate time like that without a watch, not even Koushiro could do that._

The other half of him was silent. It was then that Ryo realised what he had done. The other half had been trying to find a reason to _trust _Strikedramon, while he had been arguing to _not_ trust him. His palm hit his forehead. _Stupid._

Sounds were heard near the open side door of DRAGOON and Takato walked in, looking uncomfortable with himself. He walked to the front of the interior, nearer to the screens and further away from Ryo, as he was situated in the back. Takato and Henry started to talk.

A few moments later, Henry let out a yelp while Takato backed away. Henry started shouting at the top of his voice.

"Why didn't you tell me about them earlier, Takato?!" Henry yelled. "We could have saved so much time!"

Takato muttered something incomprehensible and gave an oddly familiar grey device to Henry. The blue haired boy let out a sigh and took the device, sitting down on the cockpit chair again, before he began to type away.

The gogglehead soon approached Ryo. "Umm..." Takato began, his face starting to go pale. Ryo understood. The former was remembering the unpleasant 'surgery' that Impmon had performed on Ryo not too long ago. _Best to do this quick, before he has a chance to puke._ Ryo though uncomfortably. He did not want Takato's lunch all over himself, he did not want it to come out from either end too soon either.

"Yes? What is it?" He asked, his calm manner hiding the pain that the wounds were bringing him, not that he was noticing it.

"Umm... uh..." Takato was staring at the part of his T-shirt that hid the wound, growing even paler with each passing second.

"Does it have something to do with the device you gave Henry?" Ryo asked, taking a guess at Takato's question.

Takato snapped out of the trance-like state and colour returned to his face as he unslung the backpack he was carrying, while nodding nervously at the same time. "Uh, yeah." he said while taking out a rectangular shaped device. Ryo need not look further to know that it was a D-Terminal, as he had seen the show and the real thing too many times to boot. He had seen it in stores as well, having the function of email and live chatroom, much like the counterpart in the shows.

Ryo accepted the device, opening it to see the inside. He had not bought one for himself, mainly because he didn't need it, but for other reasons as well. "What is it for?" he asked.

"Oh... um... it was meant for Yamaki and Hypnos to uh... contact us when they need to... and to talk to DRAGOON." Takato stammered.

Ryo nodded, before asking the million dollar question. "Does it work?"

"Um... I don't know."

Ryo nodded again. Takato took it as a sign that he could leave, before Ryo called his name again. The former stiffened, and almost reluctantly, turned around.

"Do you mind doing me a favour?"

Takato stammered. "Um... sure."

Ryo unclipped one of the decks on the side of his belt and passed it to Takato. The latter gave it a curious look. "Why are you giving me a deck?"

"No. Give it to Henry for me. He'll need it more than I do."

"Then... what about you?"

"I have two more." Ryo answered.

"Umm..." Takato hesitated, Ryo was certain that the next thing he was going to say would be why was he carrying three decks. The gogglehead however, decided not to prolong the conversation. His face was beginning to pale again. "Umm, yeah sure."

Takato was about to walk away again when Ryo called him back, much to the former's discomfort. "Do you mind passing this to Rika too?" Ryo took out the deck situated at the back of his belt, the one that was of sentimental significance to him. Ryo always had this deck with him, even when he was in the Digital Plane for the first time, despite having never used it before. Ryo decided long ago that keeping it with him right now would not do anyone any good, though one might think that trusting it with Rika would be a bad idea. Thankfully, only Ryo knew about the significance of the deck, and no one else present, not even Strikedramon.

Takato's reaction rather surprised Ryo. He started to back away from Ryo's outstretched hand, sweating considerably. "Umm, sorry Ryo, but uh... can't I do it after I've passed the other deck to Henry?"

Ryo could practically see the fear in Takato's eyes. Ryo could understand why too. _Wow, Rika laughing back there must have lead everyone to believe she has lost it._ Though Ryo knew that she was laughing at him specifically, he was not exactly mad. Well, not that the pain allowed him to hold any emotion for too long. _And a Rika who has lost it is not a Rika one would like to meet, even if it is only to drop off something._

Ryo decided that he had little choice other than to do so himself. _Who knows when we'll have such a safe time away from any threats when the data storm ends?_ Ryo pushed against the wall behind him and got to his feet.

"Ryo?" Takato said in worry. "What are you doing?"

"Getting the deck to Rika myself." was the reply.

"Oh."

Strikedramon immediately slipped under Ryo's arm, and Ryo didn't reject. _I need the help, and besides, what better way to keep an eye on him?_

Takato hesitated, as if he wanted to stop him. But the gogglehead made no move to do so. Ryo, aided by Strikedramon, had already reached the open side door when Takato rushed over.

"Umm, Ryo?" Ryo stopped and gave the goggled boy his attention. Takato took out another of the D-Terminals. "Do you mind... uh... giving this to Rika?"

Ryo raised an eyebrow, but nevertheless took the device and nodded. Takato gave him a thankful grin and proceeded to give Henry the deck. Ryo shook his head and went down the ramp with Strikedramon's aid.

"Now, where might Rika be?"

Though the cave was relatively small, it was dark, and only a small fire nearer to the mouth of the cave gave any lamination at all, save for the occasional data stream that passed. Strikedramon prodded him a little and pointed to one corner of the cave behind DRAGOON. Ryo saw the yellow colour of Renamon vaguely, and started to limp over.

Ryo, whilst limping to where he hoped to find Rika, investigated the D-Terminal with his free hand. _It looks exactly the same. It feels exactly the same. _He sighed, and clicked the switch that opened the cover, and the inside was still the same. _It is almost as if I'm back with the other Chosen again. Almost as if I just have to type in the email of Ken to talk to him again..._ Ryo resisted the urge to input every single one of the Chosen's email that he remembered as clear as day into the device and start sending a hello email. He wished that it would work, so that he could at least let Ken know that he was alive, to know that they were still friends. _I hate irony so much... _He thought sadly while resisting to comply with the powerful urge to do so.

_Still, maybe..._ He input the email of Ken anyway, and sent it anyway. _If there is one thing Takeru taught me after all these years, it is to at least to have hope. _Ryo smiled, and saved to the D-Terminal's memory all of the Chosen's emails. They may have betrayed him, but they still deserved a place not only in his memories, but in his life as well. They after all, did it for his own good.

Ryo was about to close the D-Terminal's cover when he heard Rika's voice. It was surprisingly soft, not at all like the loud one that Ryo was so accustomed to hearing. But what had interested him even more was the content of what the soft voice was saying. Unknownst to him, the open D-Terminal was broadcasting each and every word Rika said.

* * *

Takato let out a sigh. _Man, I feel so bad, having to make Ryo give the deck and the D-Terminal to Rika while he is injured. What was I thinking? What _am_ I thinking? _He thought as he made for Henry. _I know that Rika is not really... right at the moment, but she wouldn't hurt me right? Still..._

He unconsciously held up the deck to Henry's eyes. Henry stopped in his typing and turned to look at Takato.

"What is this? You're giving me your deck?"

Takato shook his head, partly to clear his thoughts as well. "No. This is Ryo's deck."

"Ryo's? Why is he..."

"He said he had two more."

Henry's eyebrow rose, but he did not continue the questions.

Takato looked at the middle screen, where it still showed DRAGOON's front view of the mouth of the cave, and with it, the outside data storm. Around the mouth, but a fair distance away were the Digimon, Guilmon being asleep on the floor and most of the other Rookies and one Mega using Guilmon as a pillow, not to mention Kenta. Kazu was looking at his D-Power, not even looking drowsy.

Takato pitied Kazu's situation. _If Guilmon was not here and everyone was, I would have felt horrible._ Takato turned his view to the little window in the screen that had... words?

"Henry, what are you doing?"

"Oh." he turned back to the keyboard. "I was seeing what DRAGOON is capable of."

"How?" Takato asked, looking at all the random numbers, letters and expressions.

"Oh ya, you don't know what all these mean do you?"

Takato shook his head.

"Well, then, I guess there is no use explaining. Anyways, I have already checked it out. DRAGOON is great! I didn't know Dad and his friends could do so much. They installed all kinds of stuff, combat stuff of course. They even put in the Yuggoth Blaster!"

At the words, Takato's eyes dropped to the floor. Henry noticed it.

"Oh, sorry." The blue-haired boy apologised. "I shouldn't have brought up bad memories."

Takato flashed him a smile. "Don't worry about it. I'm alright."

Henry nodded, but tactfully changed the subject. "You know, I tried out the D-Terminal, and it is connected to DRAGOON's systems. Did you know that?"

"Yeah, I did know that." He said, smiling that he knew something that Henry didn't.

"How?"

"Yamaki told me."

"Oh." Henry said. He then frowned. "Well, anyways. Let's see what Ryo has in this deck."

Takato leaned in for a look as well. "Hey, those are only ordinary cards. Not even a single rare card!"

Henry lost enthusiasm in scanning the cards. "You know, this reminds me. Did you know that we couldn't Digivolve into Ultimate and Biomerge into Mega?"

"What? Why?"

"You know, I have had some time to think about that. I think that it is because of Calumon."

"Calumon? What does he have to do with this?"

"I think that it is because of him that we can't Digivolve." Henry explained.

"Huh? How does that work?" A very confused Takato asked.

"Well, you see, Calumon is the Shining Digivolution, the source of all Digivolutions, right?" Henry waited for Takato to nod before going on. "So, our Blue Card's algorithm actually activates the Shining Digivolution inside Calumon, but now that Calumon doesn't have Shining Digivolution as the Sovereigns released it, the Blue Card doesn't work anymore."

"... Right." Takato said in agreement, though he did not understand most of it... most of it. "So then, how come when I swiped the Blue Card through my card reader, it turned it into my D-Power?" Takato asked, holding up the Digicode-ringed Ultimate D-Power.

"Well, that one is simple. Just some part of the Blue Card's algorithm activates the transformation." Henry answered, before frowning. "Well, but I still can't figure out why we can't Biomerge." Henry struck a thinking pose. "Hmm... " Then he remembered something. "Ryo! Do you have any ide..."

Henry looked back, to find that to his horror and surprise, Ryo was not there. "... Umm... Takato? Where did Ryo go?" Henry scanned the rest of the interior of DRAGOON. "And where is Strikedramon?"

"Umm..." Takato stammered. Henry now looked back to Takato. "... Ryo kinda... went out to give Rika the D-Terminal." He lowered his voice with each word.

Henry, was the definition of calm at the moment. "What?" he stated.

"Umm, uh..." Takato scratched the back of his head.

"You let Ryo, _who is injured_, go off on his own to give Rika the D-Terminal when _you _could have done it?"

"Umm... sorry?"

"Oh you are going to be so..."

Henry stopped in mid-sentence when Rika's voice started to emerge from the open D-Terminal.

* * *

_**:.**_** Real World - Japan, Tokyo, Tokyo Metropolitan Towers  
Main Control Room**

**03:02 PM JST**

Finally, the voice fell silent. Yamaki heard the person who had the D-Terminal slam it shut, effectively ending the broadcast. The blonde haired man knew this was rather personal for Rika Nonaka, but he thought that her mother and grandmother deserved to listen to it. From their current expressions, he found himself to be right. Fortunately, he was tact enough to transfer the broadcast into an isolated meeting room, leaving only him, Rumiko and Seiko inside. He needed to be there to see if anything broadcast was relevant to allowing him to aid the Tamers... apparently not.

Rumiko Nonaka was in tears, while her mother comforted her. "I... I never knew... All those years... that he..." She continued to burst into tears.

"So, Rika was telling the truth that day after all." Seiko said in a monotone, tears brimming in her eyes, but not falling.

Yamaki kept silent, deciding to let the two women cry privately, or as privately as they can while he was around. He wished he could get out, but doing so will attract their attention to him, and he did not want that. Besides, keeping silent was sufficient at the moment.

"I can't believe it... that-that... Kiyoyuki has..."

"You were wrong. Kiyoyuki never betrayed you or Rika. You owe Rika an apology long due, Rumiko."

The younger woman's eyes looked down to her shoes. "And Kiyoyuki too." she whispered.

"And him too."

Rumiko closed her eyes for a second longer. "When Rika gets back, I will definitely apologise to her," She said, confidently this time. "and I will ask her to bring me to the place where..." Rumiko choked on the last words.

It was hard to imagine. Yamaki did not know anyone to have thought to lose their husband or lover to another girl only to find out that he had died protecting their daughter. This was the situation at the moment.

Rumiko leaned into her mother's shoulder and sobbed silently.

* * *

**Well, I put in an emotional part, and try to explain why Matrix Digivolution doesn't work. **

**Next, thanks to the following for reviewing and your compliments:**

**Pokejim - All about what happened to the Chosen/Digidestined will be revealed in Aftermath of 02. Try reading the preview of it.  
**

**erinsgirl - Yes, I will bring them in in Aftermath of 02**** and**** the fic after this****. I may mention them in this fic as well. Also, I am honored to be the first. :) **

**Narissa - Thanks for the advice, hope you are considering my request.**

**For you guys, if you really want to know more, my profile page has slight summaries. Some of which are not really confirmed yet, but you can get the general idea there.**

**As for the rest, please review. **


	17. A New Discovery

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Digimon, but I do own the plot, and DRAGOON.

* * *

_**Digimon Continuity**_

**Quest for the Digimon  
**

Chapter 17

_A New Discovery_

* * *

**_:_. Digital Plane - Desert Plane, Cave**

**03:05 PM JST**

Ryo slammed the cover of the D-Terminal shut with his only free hand when Rika finished. Ryo felt betrayed, more so than ever before. He no longer felt like limping out of his hiding place behind DRAGOON to give Rika the deck and D-Terminal. Not because he was afraid that Renamon or Rika will hurt him real bad, but rather he was afraid that he would hurt _them_ real bad in his anger.

He wanted to take it out on something right now, and he did not want them to see him do it. He felt his fingers tighten on the D-Terminal's hard cover. If it were not there, he would not be surprised to see blood on his palm. He stomped off as silently as he could, going as deep into the little cave as he could.

Once he considered himself deep enough, he allowed all his anger that he had restrained mere seconds ago out... on the wall. Ryo let his D-Terminal clatter to the cave floor as his hands pushed Strikedramon away and his mind visualised the glowing orb of light on the pedestal. Then, he began to pound the wall with all the strength his weakened state possessed.

_ENIAC. ENIAC. ENIAC! ENIAC!! _His mind screamed in anger with each blow that did no damage whatsoever to the wall, and only brought him even more pain. Hot tears of betrayal streamed down his face. His knuckles were hurting like mad, but not even close to how he felt in his heart. He was hitting the wall so hard that he could have sworn he heard his bones breaking, but he did not care one bit. _How_-punch-_could_-punch-_you_-punch-_do_-punch-_this_-punch-_to_-punch-_me_-punch-_ENIAC!!_

Finally, he punched the wall one last time, earning him a satisfying loud thump as his knuckles made forceful contact with the wall once again. Ryo felt a little better, but not much so. What he really wanted was to hit the master computer itself. _Too bad I can't travel back in time... but when I do, ENIAC, I'll make you pay!_

Ryo inhaled, allowing the breath to calm his senses and himself as he noticed Strikedramon starring in shock at him. _I am actually glad Strikedramon can't remember. At least even if I told him it was ENIAC, he wouldn't know what I'm talking about... not that I want to._

He noticed he was in one of the darker parts of the cave, concealed in shadow just like how Rika and Renamon were. Limping into the light, completely ignoring the new pain coming from his knuckles in addition to the wounds already present. While before the pain help to alleviate the pain of betrayal in his heart, it now worsened it. It was like getting drunk. While at first it seemed to help, in the end it only made things a lot worse.

As the last remains of his anger faded away, logic replaced it. He settled back into the wall he had just vented his anger on, well aware of Strikedramon's eyes on him._ Actually, ENIAC was right not to tell me. To know that I was responsible for Rika being who she was at that time_. _I had enough on my mind to know that Millenniumon could only be defeated by me. Besides, I should have seen the similarities. Were there so many redheads in the whole of Japan that I couldn't even tell that it was Rika?_

_But if that fight with IceDevimon never occurred, Rika and her dad could be just absorbed data right now. _He leaned his head on the wall, looking up into the ceiling of the cave, before sighing. _Still, if I did not interrupt, Rika and her dad could have escaped. Had they escaped from IceDevimon back then, would Rika still be a Tamer? How would it have affected... everything?_ He pushed a hand through his hair. _No. What's done is done, there is no use dwelling on the past. If there was one thing I learnt throughout my entire messed up life, it is that._

Ryo's life was... complicated. The other Tamer's lives were considered simple by his standards. To simply have a Digimon and friends you could trust were easy to handle. If any of the other Tamers - Takato, Henry, anyone at all - were to go though was he had, Ryo doubted that they could be as carefree as they were. Though they were not actually carefree, their troubles were nothing. _At least when they saved the world from the D-Reaper, they had someone to lean on when things went wrong, someone who would understand their situation, parents who would sympathise with them. I didn't have that._

Ryo remembered in all his adventures the Digital World of the Chosen. He was the only one. He had no team, no friends that were there by his side. The very best he got was the companionship of his Digimon partner and Digital friends, and another friend who was a world away, literally. Even though back in ENIAC's world he had friends, both old and new, they were not able to fully fill the void in his heart, because in the end, he knew that they were from other realities not his own, that those in his reality would never remember the battle against ZeedMillenniumon... for they were never present for it.

The reason why he had chosen to come to the Tamer's world was to be with his new friends, instead of having to return to his old ones and face the pain of needing to heal from the betrayal of the D-1 Tournament. But to learn that everyone had betrayed him, even ENIAC, was far too painful. _Everyone I know and treat as my friend betray me. Not yet Takato and the others... but they will. _He sighed again. _Is this how my life would go? Betrayals at every turn? I really wish I never heard it. I wish I never became a Chosen. I wish I had never touched that Digivice three years ago... _He opened his eyes again, where Strikedramon was watching him with... curiosity? It was hard to tell in the dim light. _... three years... seems like forever since I had a normal life without needing to think about the Digimon. _

The pain of his knuckles finally got to him, and he decided to put the matter aside, until they were back in the Real World again. The data storm was beginning to end. _Maybe dressing up these wounds would be a good idea too. _he thought, looking at his bleeding knuckles.

* * *

_**:.**_** Real World - Japan, Tokyo, Tokyo Metropolitan Towers  
Main Control Room**

**03:06 PM JST**

"Hey, why are you here? Aren't you going with Takato and the others?"

"Um... no..."

"Why not? You are a Tamer, right? Don't you miss your Digimon as well?"

"I used to be..." The brown haired girl whispered.

"What are you..."

"Takehiro!" Mrs Matsuki reprimanded her husband. "This is the girl that Takato talked about, Jeri. The one who lost her Digimon."

Jeri fought back tears that threatened to fall at that slight mention of Leomon. The pain of the memory was easily pushed away when she saw all her friends in their own grief, and convinced herself that she should not dwell on her own Digimon's death and try to help her friends.

But now that she was here in a room of anxious parents and those friends were off in the Digital World, the pain of the memory of Leomon's death was resurfacing. Not that Takato's father mentioning it helped.

The other parents had been were muttering amongst themselves about the abrupt departure of the Nonakas, whether the blonde haired man was bring bad news, and who would be next. However, now they stopped, interested in the current conversation. The bad thing was... Jeri was the highlight of it.

A tall boy with blue hair stepped forth from the crowd of parents. He bent down low to her height, while she unconsciously backed away, like a child who had done wrong facing the wrath of her parents. "Your name is... Jeri, right?"

Jeri nodded slowly, as if doing so fast would bring undesirable consequences. The boy's eyebrows rose. "You said that you are-um... were a Tamer, right?" He continued, having the same amount of caution as one would have with a bomb about to explode.

"Y-Yes." She feebly replied.

"Then... can you tell me... of Henry will come out from the..." He looked around, wanting to confirm.

"The Digital World?" She asked. The boy gave a curt nod. He did not need to go on for her to know the last word in his sentence was 'alive'. He wanted to know if Henry would come out _alive_.

She was not the only one who deciphered it. "Rinchei! How could you think that! Of course Henry will be alright!" An older woman with similar blue hair said, though the tone in which she used portrayed slight doubt as well.

Mutterings ensued amongst the parents as to their own child's ability to survive, despite them having already done so once. "Please, they will be alright." Jeri said, trying to convince them.

"How are you sure?" One of the adults she did not recognise asked.

Jeri summoned her most confident and convincing tone. "They have their Digimon with them the last time we saw them through DRAGOON. And besides, they had already been through the Digital World once. With Takato and their Digimon already there, they are bound to be alright. Ryo too." she added as an afterthought. She could not forget Ryo's knowledge of the Digital World.

"Who is this Ryo person?" Another adult asked. They need not need to ask about Takato for it was common knowledge within all of them that Takato was Dukemon, the Holy Knight Digimon that fought against the D-Reaper.

"Ryo is my son... my adopted son, but my son nevertheless." A man with brown hair said. Jeri would never have suspected him to be Ryo's adopted father.

"How does his presence help my son?" Mrs Wong asked worried and accusingly.

Ryo's adopted father closed his eyes, his face in a grimace of pain. _Heartfelt pain. _Jeri thought. She knew from her own example that Ryo's father treated him like his own son, similar to how Jeri's stepmother did. She decided to save the man from having to recall surely painful memories of Ryo's departure to the Digital World for a year. "Ryo is the most experienced Tamer among all of us, and knows every twist and turn of the Digital World. With him, Takato and the others will be fine."

Mutterings amongst the parents ensued once again, except this time, it was to reassure one another. The previously tense atmosphere began to lighten. Jeri heaved a sigh of relieve as the attention of all in the room on her wavered.

* * *

**_:_. Digital Plane - Desert Plane, Cave  
DRAGOON  
**

**03:05 PM JST**

Takato and Henry stood and sat respectively in shocked silence. No one would have expected to hear what they had just heard. The same thought was going through both their minds. _Rika will kill me when she finds out._

Naturally, the following thought... followed. _Well, then I am not going to tell Rika. _Unfortunately, a new thought decided to pop in for a visit. _But if Rika finds out that I kept it from her, she would kill me a million times over._

With that thought, both Takato and Henry turned to each other.

"Promise not to tell anyone." they said in unison. Shocked expressions appeared before they continued. "Or else Rika will kill us!"

Takato began to scratch the back of his head. Henry leaned back in his seat and palmed his head.

"Uh, is it just me or did we just say the _exact_ same thing?"

Henry shook his head. "I wish. Am I glad Terriermon is not here right now." Terriermon, like most of the others, preferred to give Ryo some space to rest, meaning the entire interior of DRAGOON. After smelling the smell of burning skin in enclosed space, who wouldn't?

"So... uh..."

"No need to say it, Takato. We are not telling anyone about this. No one. This will be our secret."

Takato nodded. "But man, it is hard to imagine that Rika was attacked when she was just four."

Henry nodded as well. "It is hard to imagine that it was an IceDevimon too..." Henry considered for a moment. "Alright, maybe it is not that hard, but still... IceDevimon."

"Yeah. No wonder Rika was so scared when IceDevimon kidnapped her." Takato said, leaving the both of them in silence after his words. _I guess this kinda explains why Rika was so mean to Digimon. All except Renamon. She didn't care about them because... her dad was killed by one. _Takato sighed. He was glad that it was not him. He could not imagine life without a father, without the bakery and his dad helping him every now and then against the wrath of his mom. _I miss them already. I wish I could go home right now, but Kazu is still missing Guardromon._

Takato was just about to bring up the situation to Henry when he saw the accusing look in the latter's eyes. Then, Takato remembered their conversation before Rika's voice emerged from the D-Terminal.

"Alright Takato, not even Rika can save you now." Takato cowered. "_Where is Ryo?_"

_I guess this is what they mean by the calm before the storm. _Takato thought, remembering the blue haired boy's cool head when he discovered Ryo's absence. He felt uncomfortably small in the face of any kind of wrath, even that of Henry's. "I... don't know?" He muttered in fear. He prepared himself for what was sure to be a rough scolding when someone saved him.

Certainly not Rika.

Ryo himself.

"Henry! Get everyone up. The data storm is passing." Ryo said as he and Strikedramon limped into DRAGOON. Takato took a look at the forward view of DRAGOON, the middle screen, and saw indeed that the storm was passing. There were fewer data streams now.

"Ryo?!" Henry scolded, whilst Takato let out a breath he had unconsciously held when Henry changed targets for his anger. "Where have you been? Have you given the D-Terminal to Rika yet?"

"Get everyone up. We have to hurry. Strikedramon says he sees something coming." Ryo considered a moment. "Make that a lot of somethings. We are under attack."

* * *

**CLIFFHANGER!**

**Wait, haven't I done this before?... Never mind.**

**So, I added a very confusing POV of Ryo (confusing to those who never viewed Brave Tamer anyway... or not) for everyone (even those who view Brave Tamer... to a certain extent), some of Jeri and some of Takato.**

**Tell me what you think of this chapter in a review. I will be eternally grateful for it.**

**Thanks to Matt Lans for reviewing the last chapter... kinda disappointing I only had one reviewer.**

**Anyways, I have put up a poll on my profile page in regards to Aftermath of 02. Vote please.**

**Don't forget to review too!**


	18. Rika's Wake Up Call

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Digimon, but I do own the plot, and DRAGOON.

* * *

_**Digimon Continuity**_

**Quest for the Digimon  
**

Chapter 18

_Rika's Wake Up Call_

* * *

**_:_. Digital Plane - Desert Plane, Cave  
DRAGOON  
**

**03:08 PM JST**

"We're what?!" _No way. Please don't tell me..._

"Get moving! Both of you!" Ryo shouted. When none did, he let out a final bark. "NOW!"

Takato rushed for the side entrance, but tripped and fell along the way. Henry was about to do the same when Ryo limped to him and put a hand on his chest. "No. Can you get DRAGOON up and going?"

Henry stopped for an instant, trying to clear his mind of his panic to answer the question. "I... uh..." He took a deep breath. "... I think that I should be able to, but..." Ryo never let him finish, it was like a whole different person, not at all the calm, cool and collected person he knew. But then again, now was not the time to be calm and collected, especially when you're attacked by an army of Digimon.

"Then get going!" Ryo stalked out of DRAGOON, limping hurriedly to do whatever only Ryo himself knew of.

Henry watched the side door where Ryo left for a moment, before the anxiety of the situation go to him. He rushed to the monitor where he was checking out DRAGOON's programming just a while ago, and as quickly as he could, typed in the command for DRAGOON to go online. Henry heard sounds of an engine roar and whine, and he was abruptly thrown out of DRAGOON's command program.

"I have miscalculated." was the first thing DRAGOON said.

"Tell me something I don't know DRAGOON!" Henry yelled. He watched as DRAGOON complied with his command. He watched in the forward view screen as it zoomed in on the outside of the cave, showing the images of 8 Digimon, hardly an army, other than the fact that he recognised some of them as Ultimates. _This is bad, real bad. _He thought as he remembered their current strength. _Not being able to Biomerge and Matrix Digivolve is now a really bad disadvantage now._

DRAGOON, apparently, thought the same. "We have to run. Even I doubt I would be able to handle so many Digimon at once."

Henry nodded. "I'll get the others." He said as he made his way to the side door. DRAGOON, however, closed it shut at once, preventing him from going out. "What are you doing?!" He panicked.

"I have calculated that we will not be able to make it at the speed their coming toward this cave. The only way is for me to distract them while you make your escape."

"What... but..." Henry stopped, as it was pointless to argue with them running short of time.

"GO! And do not forget to take the D-Terminal with you."

"What for?"

"It will help you communicate with me from afar. My creators should have told you that."

Henry swiped the rectangular device, and bolted out of the door. "Well, I didn't exactly stay to hear." He muttered guiltily.

* * *

"GET UP EVERYONE! WE ARE UNDER ATTACK!!"

"Stop yelling GOGGLEHEAD! Can't anyone get some sleep around here?!" A very irritated Rika Nonaka countered.

"Wha...? What's going on?" A sleepy Kazu said, rubbing his eyes. Kenta had a similar reaction.

Unfortunately, the Digimon were deep sleepers, especially Guilmon. Takato tried to wake them up, but they all simply threw an attack at him or swatted him away. Only Lopmon and MarineAngemon got up.

Strikedramon suddenly appeared out of nowhere, an obvious grin on his face. His claws lit up with a blue flame. _Oh please no. _Takato begged. The Champion did only one thing. "Wake up!" He threw large chunks of the fire at each of the Digimon still asleep.

Each of those hit shot awake and into the air, holding their poor behinds. The sadistic Strikedramon grinned again, and yelled to them all. "Now move before I burn you again." As if to emphasize the point, the flames got bigger.

"STRIKEDRAMON! What are you doing?!" Ryo demanded.

"Awakening the Digimon to fight." Strikedramon replied.

He saw now why Ryo was so uncomfortable with Strikedramon... his methods were... unorthodox, extremely so. Renamon was shaking her head when Henry jumped from DRAGOON. The latter then proceeded to lift off.

"What are you doing, DRAGOON? You can't leave us here!" Takato pleaded.

Henry shook his head. "He is distracting them. I have counted eight Digimon, and none of them are nice."

"We can take them easy. I took twenty at once... once." Impmon proudly announced.

"That is when you were Beelzemon." Renamon said coolly. Impmon deflated like a balloon.

Henry shook his head. "No, we can't take them. We can't Biomerge and go Ultimate." He reminded. "DRAGOON will distract them while we run. There is no choice."

Takato had no choice but to agree. "Alright. Guilmon." He looked to his partner, who was still pitifully rubbing his burnt butt. "Time to Digivolve!" He already had the card half out. "Digi-Modify! Evolution Plug-In E! Activate!"

DIGIVOLUTION

"Guilmon! Digivolve!..." Guilmon's form changed just as the latter exited the cave, becoming larger and growing to the height of 20 meters. "... Growlmon!"

The other Tamers and Digimon got out as well, before Rika took out a card that Takato didn't know she had. _But I thought Ryo hasn't given her the deck._ But he decided that that was one mystery that was irrelevant at the moment.

"Digi-Modify! Evolution Plug-In E! Activate!"

DIGIVOLUTION

"Renamon! Digivolve!..." Renamon's form glowed, before she went on all four limps and her tail split into nine. "... Kyuubimon!"

"Good." Kazu said as he got on Growlmon, along with Henry, Kenta and all the other Digimon. Growlmon began to complain of the weight.

"Takato. It is too heavy." He whined.

"Yeah guys." Takato said, agreeing with his partner. "Why don't one of you ride on Kyuubimon?" But even Takato knew that that was a rhetorical question. Of course no one wanted to sit with Rika. No one but Ryo would even dare approach within five feet of her.

But Growlmon had no more room left for Strikedramon and Ryo, who instructed Strikedramon to Digivolve into Cyberdramon without even _using_ his D-Power. Then, he turned to them. "Alright, someone take Cyberdramon. He should have enough room for two humans, or all of the other Digimon."

All looked to Ryo, whom they had expected to hop on Cyberdramon. Takato asked the question on everyone's minds. "Why don't _you_ take him?"

"I'll ride with Rika." He announced, earning shocked gasps from all. But he ignored them. "We need all the speed we can afford. So we cannot risk Growlmon collapsing of the weight halfway through. And since neither of you want to ride Kyuubimon, I will."

Kazu and Kenta sighed as they and MarineAngemon hopped on the back of Cyberdramon, rather reluctantly.

Henry put his hand to his head while shaking it. "Alright then, let's go, before we lose DRAGOON's distraction."

* * *

**_:_. Digital Plane - Desert Plane  
**

**03:19 PM JST**

TigerVespamon flew in the air, along with a HippoGryphomon. Below them, an Assaultmon galloped, guns on high alert as a Mammothmon carrying an Asuramon, two Knightmon and Ninjamon slogged onward. Ahead, one of the only shelters around for many miles was glowing with a small light, indicating their target.

They were right behind the wrath of the data storm, following its wake so that they would be unaffected by its data streams. _I am glad that Darkdramon is not here. At least I would be able to have things go according to plan without him messing it up. _Their Lord had commanded that Darkdramon stayed while he went with the strike team. The latter had complied, albeit reluctantly. It was not that he did not like the purple armored Mega. It was hard to hate him after working with him against the True Enemy, but he had flaws. It was those flaws that would be unacceptable in this mission.

Still, he felt a tight pinch of regret. _Maybe I'll apologise to him after this is finished. It is the least I can do._ Satisfied, he continued to consider the plan, looking for anything that would go wrong. _Of course, a lot will go wrong, but I still have to do my best to ensure that it is kept at a minimum. _The plan was simple. They would be attacking right after the storm, where the humans would be still vulnerable. None would expect that. TigerVespamon smiled behind the visor. All they had to do was make sure that the humans would not see them too soon. _So far so good._

Suddenly, a gray dot materialised in the skies. His vision was acute enough to be able to discern it, but he confirmed it with HippoGryphomon flying beside him, and the beast nodded. He saw the metal flyer as well.

_That does not appear to be one of the traitors... but it may be the unknown Digimon. _He grinned again. _This will be interesting._

The gray dot abruptly shot forward into view, while TigerVespamon shouted out. "Incoming! 12 o'clock!"

The Assualtmon below looked into the skies, before his gunports opened. "Justice Massacre!" His arm turrets took aim at the airborne enemy and fired, along with all the other weapons in his body.

Bullets and lasers filled the air while he watched the gray dot swerve from them. The gray dot followed with its own barrage of lasers, while Assualtmon quickly galloped away. _Hmm... time for me to take the stage._

He motioned to HippoGryphomon, and together, they charged toward the metal Digimon. Assaultmon took a look and proceeded to continue his way to the cave entrance along with Mammothmon and his passengers where the humans were beginning to exit.

He knew this tactic. _So, you are just a distraction huh? I'll give you something to distract. _"HippoGryphomon! Now!"

The said Digimon nodded. HippoGryphomon opened his beak, and from it unleashed a gust of hot wind. "Heat Wave!"

The gray Digimon drew close, before the effects of the attack became visible as the Digimon began to slow down. _No Digimon can handle the heat in metal armor. Fool._

TigerVespamon flew ahead, attacking as well. "Gear Stinger!" From him launched small needles that rattled on the Digimon's armor, ineffective. But TigerVespamon was only trying to gain the gray Digimon's attention...

HippoGryphomon let out a ear splitting screech. "Sonic Boom!" Like his previous attack, the effects were only seen a moment later when the Digimon tried to open fire... tried. Even though TigerVespamon was in range and getting closer, not one of the lasers even came close to him. That was the effect of the attack. _Confuse. And strike!_

"Mach Stinger Victory!" His blades converged on the Digimon, only for the latter to catch them in arms that had appeared out of nowhere. _Full of surprises, are you?_ TigerVespamon thought as the Digimon's metallic head shook left and right, trying to clear the confusion. TigerVespamon took advantage of the moment and kicked the Digimon hard in his broad metal chest, propelling himself away.

Then, HippoGryphomon charged forward, slamming his head into area that TigerVespamon had vacated. The Digimon plummeted to the ground, before regaining his balance, and at last speaking.

"Why are you attacking? What have they done to deserve such an assault?"

TigerVespamon shook his head. "They have betrayed us. It is that simple."

The Digimon's eyes gazed at him, before TigerVespamon realised something. The eyes were not... organic. There was not a single Digimon in the Digital World who had mechanical eyes. TigerVespamon was lead to one conclusion... _It is not a Digimon..._

Outrage filled TigerVespamon. The only way for such a being to exist came to mind. _HUMANS! They have been tampering!_ His anger peaked. _I will not forgive this!_

He did not wait around for another answer from the fake Digimon. Instead, TigerVespamon charged forward, shocking both the fake Digimon and HippoGryphomon. "Royal Meister!" TigerVespamon struck out with his blade, but the fake Digimon was fast, the imposter quickly dodged the attack despite his bunk.

"Enough of this foolishness. It is time to end this! HippoGryphomon!"

He could sense the doubt in the beast, but the latter did not hesitate. "Sonic Boom!"

The fake Digimon opened his 'mouth', charging an attack while dodging the sound blast by flying sideways. "Yuggoth... BLASTER!"

A purple triangle materialised in the mouth and was launched. HippoGryphomon tried to counter the attack that was launched at him by attacking as well. "Heat Wave!"

It was a slaughter. The air blast stood no chance against the energy cannon. It overwhelmed the attack of HippoGryphomon and hit the beast's head, before blasting right past the head of his comrade and raging toward him. He brought his two swords up in a defensive maneuver, as it would be too late to try and dodge the attack then.

The blast collided with his twin swords, before he watched as his two weapons _disintegrated _right before his eyes. Instinct overcame conscious thought as he backflipped away from the attack, but still, it overcame his temporary barrier and hit him hard.

He spun toward the ground, as HippoGryphomon's body burst into data and the fake Digimon flew toward the humans, not bothering to finish him off. _You will regret not finishing me off someday... _TigerVespamon thought weakly as he plummeted. _I will make sure you do!_

* * *

"They are coming!"

"What's that one?"

"Use your D-Power, idiots!"

"Hey! We're not idiots!"

"Shut up and check your D-Power!"

Ryo shook his head. He was on Kyuubimon, while Cyberdramon was above, and Growlmon slightly lagging behind but making up for his lack of speed by his large steps. Naturally, Rika was reluctant to let him on, but he managed to convince her... when a Mammothmon came into view with a load of dangerous passengers and one very fast Assualtmon.

Ignoring the current argument, he checked his D-Power, which gave him what he needed to know. "Assualtmon, Ultimate level, Virus type. Attacks are Justice Massacre and Surprise Attack... hmm... ironic." Ryo commented after reading the data on the D-Power's holographic screen. Rika bent over, looking at his D-Power as she was in no position to take hers. Both her hands were needed to hold onto Kyuubimon while the latter ran. He was able to take it out because he only had to hold on to Rika with one hand, albeit it being a little dangerous to do so. Rika had not done anything to him... yet.

Rika frowned. "What kind of language is that?" She asked irritably when she could not decipher the data his D-Power showed. It was not a language she knew.

"Digicode." He replied simply. "The software that converted Digicode to Japanese has been deleted... on purpose." He added, before she decided to make a fuss out of it.

"What for?"

"To make room for other things." Ryo said.

Her eyebrows knitted. "And you can read that junk?"

"Yes."

His simple answer made her turn away, frustrated. Ryo shook his head. _When you try to be nice... at least you don't get yelled at._

"Waaa! Watch out!"

Ryo risked a glance behind to find Assualtmon aiming at Growlmon. "Justice Massacre!"

Bullets flew, though Takato managed to block the attack with a Defense Plug-In C modification. Growlmon countered with a Pyro Blaster, but Assualtmon's superior speed easily dodged the attack. Ryo frowned.

"Kyuubimon! Turn around!" He yelled, trying to overcome the sound of the wind.

"What are you talking about Akiyama?" Rika shouted. "Are you insane?"

"Just do it Kyuubimon!" He exclaimed, ignoring Rika. "We have to help Takato!"

"Are you an idiot Akiyama? Gogglehead can take care of himself."

Ryo watched as a Gargomon jumped from Growlmon, trying to hold Assualtmon off while Growlmon attempted to escape. But even if Growlmon did escape, Gargomon would not stand a chance against the approaching Mammothmon which had a Ninjamon, two Knightmon ready for battle and an Asuramon just waiting to use his arms. _Why didn't Henry use Rapidmon? _He thought, unaware of their inability to Matrix Digivolve.

"No Rika! They are your friends too. We have to help them!"

"I don't have to do anything Akiyama! Kyuubimon, ignore him."

"But Rika..." Kyuubimon protested.

"Kyuubimon!" Rika yelled, keeping Kyuubimon silent. Ryo knew for a fact that even though Kyuubimon cared for the others, she would follow Rika's orders first. _And here I was hoping that Rika would become nice again... friendly again. I guess I hoped wrong..._

"Fine then. If you want it to be that way..." Assualtmon had now taken down Growlmon, and the latter was one the ground with his passengers partially under him. Gargomon was shooting at Assualtmon the best he could, but even though he had the type advantage, Assualtmon was an Ultimate and he had more guns. Again, he asked himself why Henry did not Digivolve Gargomon to Rapidmon just now. "... Cyberdramon!"

His partner flew lower, before depositing his load of passengers onto Kyuubimon. "Hey! What are you doing?! Why are you giving me the two idiots?!" Rika said in annoyance, mainly because the load was Kazu and Kenta.

"Shut up Rika." He said with an aggression he had not displayed before. Rika and any complain that Kazu and Kenta had were muted. Kyuubimon kept going though, knowing that stopping was not an option. "I have had enough of you. If you wouldn't help your friends, at least take care of the ones who _don't_ have a Digimon." Kenta appeared to want to rebuke that, but Kazu's nudging him in the ribs shut him up.

"I have always tolerated you Rika, because I thought I knew somewhere under that icy exterior was a warm side." He continued to a stunned Rika. "But the two friends that risked everything for you are now in danger, and you wouldn't even glance at them. What kind of a friend are you?!" He questioned harshly.

His eyes narrowed, and he stood up on the rapidly moving Kyuubimon, then grabbed on to Cyberdramon. "I want you to think about this Rika, think about all they have done for you. This is your wake up call Rika. There wouldn't be another one. You can choose to help us... or you can escape now, and quite possibly never see any of us ever again. If you choose that and we survive, don't you _dare_ call any of us your friends. Because you are not _fit_ to be a friend of _any_ of us. Your choice, Rika. I just hope you still have a conscience."

With that, Ryo hopped onto Cyberdramon, making his way to the battle, and hoping that he was on time.

* * *

**You know, I was actually kinda stuck on the last part. But I guess this will suffice. Anyways, I was really sad no one reviewed the last chapter. I hope you guys don't blame me for this chapter's rather abrupt flow.**

**But please review. I am begging you guys. Please...**

**Welcome to my world people, where I have to beg you guys to review. XD **

**But please do so. Really. I don't know how to emphasise this further.**

**Until next chapter... Still, start wondering, what will Ryo do when he finds out he can't Biomerge... the hard and dangerous way...**


	19. Strikedramon Debut

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Digimon, but I do own the plot, and DRAGOON.

* * *

_**Digimon Continuity**_

**Quest for the Digimon  
**

Chapter 19

_Strikedramon Debut_

* * *

**_:_. Digital Plane - Desert Plane  
**

**03:28 PM JST**

The lower half of Takato's body was stuck under Growlmon, as was Henry's. Takato tried to push Growlmon away for the umpteenth time, but to no avail. "Growlmon! Please get up!"

Growlmon let out a weak moan. "I'm trying Takato... but I'm too... tired..."

"Takato! You have to swipe a card for Growlmon!" Henry told Takato.

"But how?! My deck is stuck in my pocket with Growlmon on top, and my D-Power is..." Takato stretched for his D-Power, which was lying just short of an arm's length away. His fingers were practically brushing it, but Takato could not reach it. "... over... there..."

Henry tried to push at the Champion levelled red dinosaur, but it did not bulge even by a millimetre. "I can't even reach my D-Power, and the deck Ryo gave me is useless without it." He showed Takato the deck in his hand. It seemed that Henry had kept the deck Ryo gave him in his hand the whole time.

Takato just had to reach his D-Power to be able to use the deck in Henry's hands, but still, he stretched again and couldn't reach it. Suddenly, a rain of bullets pelted where his hand was right before he pulled it back into the safety of the rest of his body. Unfortunately, the bullets pinged off the D-Power, the rate and velocity at which the bullets hit it slid it even further away from Takato. _NO! _Takato mentally screamed.

Takato grind his teeth. Unless he could extend his arm, he could not do anything now. "Growlmon!! Get UP!" He tried again.

Henry did too. "Come on, Growlmon." He encouraged. "You can do it. Just a little..."

"I'll try, Takato." Growlmon said weakly as his claws dug into the sandy ground, before they straightened and Growlmon lifted himself up the few centimetres that mattered. Takato and Henry quickly struggled to get out, but their haste caused their feet to brush against Growlmon, which caused the dinosaur to be ticklish and fall right back on top of them. "I'm sorry Takato, I tried..."

"It's okay, boy." Takato said, grimacing when the weight of Growlmon fell on his legs again, then frowning at the situation.

"We got trouble, Takato." Henry announced. "We have a Mammothmon headed our way, and he's bring trouble along."

Takato turned his head to find that Henry was right. Then, he returned his gaze to the D-Power, which was just a tiny bit closer due to their eariler struggle to get out from under Growlmon. He reached for it once again, and had his fingers brush the center, and was trying to get a grip on the other side of it when it silpped and spiralled further away. He heard Henry make a frustrated noise when it did. He looked at the oncoming Mammothmon again. He could already see the grining face of the Asuramon.

* * *

"Gargo Laser!" Another barrage flew from the turrets. Assaultmon simply galloped out of range, before returning the favour.

"Justice Massacre!" Gargomon quickly put his hands up to ward off the worse of the attack, but the force of the bullets still drove him back a little.

_Oh man... I wish I was Rapidmon. At least I can outrun his galloping butt._ "Gargo Laser!" In lieu of the steady sounds and recoil from the bullets leaving his arm turret, all he heard was a dreadingly empty click.

He was out of ammo.

Assualtmon could have grinned. The cyborg centaur stopped in his tracks, tilted his head a little as if taunting him. Then, he finally spoke words that was not the name of his next attack. "You are out of ammunition." He stated the obvious, but hearing it made Gargomon chill on the inside. There was not going to be any refill of his ammo anytime soon. "Now, I shall finish you... and I will enjoy every moment of it."

Gargomon strained to remember whether he had ever insulted a Assualtmon before, but with the number of beings, human or Digimon, that he had insulted, he would never know. The worst thing was, he was out of wise cracks to delay Assualtmon from carrying on his deletion. "Mercy? Pretty please?" He asked, having nothing else left in his arsenal, literally too.

"HA, ha ha ha! Begging wouldn't save you now." Assaultmon laughed. "I shall delete you, absorb your data, and raise to the ranks of the Three."

In spite of himself, Gargomon could not resist _not_ doing this one. "What Three?" However, the instant he said it, he regretted it. Even to his own ears, he sounded rude.This wisecrack that could be an express ticket to la la land.

"Ha ha ha! You will find out..." Assaultmon paused for a moment, giving Gargomon and impression that he was doing another of his hidden grins. "... after I DELETE you!" Assaultmon sprung forward, galloping toward Gargomon at an impossible speed. "Surprise Attack!!" Gargomon thought he had began to see things, when suddenly there were shadow images of Assaultmon behind him.

Assaultmon abruptly appeared in front of him, having increased his speed such that Gargomon did not see him as his eyes still had to adjust. Assaultmon's arm moved in slow motion as it went up, prolonging the painful moment. Then, the gun levelled right at his face, at point blank range. He could practically see the bullet slide in place in the dark barrel of Assaultmon's weapon. Then, the loud explosion of the bullet being launched was heard. He saw the bullet move in its comfortable location at the back of the barrel, moving closer and closer to its exit point, spinning as it came.

To his surprise and relief, the barrel was suddenly flung away, hit by a single blackish purple arm. The bullet exited the barrel and into the sand, where it could not hurt anyone

"Surprise THIS!" A voice Gargomon so gladly welcomed said.

* * *

"Cyber Nail!"

The claw hit the barrel smoothly away from Gargomon's face, and Cyberdramon delivered a fist into the Assaultmon's face. The cyborg centuar drew back, his eyes expressing shock at his new adversary.

Ryo jumped off his partner, heading over to Gargomon. "You alright?"

Gargomon nodded his head slowly, still shaken by the near deletion experience. Ryo nodded, before heading to where Growlmon was sprawled, with two poor Tamers stuck underneath.

"You guys alright?" Ryo asked in concern, having already cooled down a little from earlier.

"Yeah... but I just need my D-Power." Takato said.

Ryo took a look around and immediately spotted the Digicoded gold ringed D-Power. He picked it up, inspecting the Digicode there for the first time. It read: Digimon Tamers. He frowned. He could read Digicode like a second language, and probably speak it as fluently as he could Japanese... if it could be spoke. Regardless of whether it was the 'new' Digicode or the 'old' one, he could read both perfectly well, and in this case, it was the 'old' one. The older version of Digicode was rather complicated, almost extinct, with very few Digimon left that were still able to read it. Ryo himself only learned both during his time in ENIAC's world. It was rather simple, once one made sure not to mix up the newer and older versions.

But what bothered him more than anything else was how coincidental the code was to what they called themselves. Despite him knowing that the Digignomes were the one who created it, it gave him an eerie feeling that the name of Tamers came a long way back, meaning ENIAC himself. That very thought made him shiver. _I know how Takato got this D-Power... and that it can't be... but this is ridiculous. I don't understand how this could be. Could it be Takato subconsciously put in the code? _Ryo shook his head. _It can't be. Takato doesn't know the code... unless..._

Ryo glanced to Takato, who was staring back at him in impatience, hand outstretched. _No. Takato doesn't recognise me. So it can't be _him_. _Ryo concluded. Henry's voice suddenly exploded though his ears, as did the sounds of battle.

"RYO!!" Ryo jumped, instinctively turning around to find Henry glaring angrily at him, while Takato was cowering at Henry's outburst. "Hey, nice to see you back with us, Ryo. Mind giving Takato his D-Power so that we can get back on our feet?"

For a second, Ryo stared absentmindedly at Henry, his mind still hanging on his last thoughts and not hearing Henry's words. Then, he snapped out of it and passed Takato his D-Power, simultaneously drawing a card and passing it to Takato as well. "Sorry. Here, this should help."

Takato accepted both gratefully. "Thanks." He said before swiping the card though the card slot. The card slot glowed as the card passed though, scanning it. "Digi-Modify! Strength Plug-In O! Activate!"

Growlmon himself seemed to shine with mild light before pushing his arms against the ground, his strength slightly replenished. At long last, the two Tamers were free.

"Sorry for lying down on you, Takato." Growlmon apologised.

Takato got to his feet, only to slip and be held steady by leaning onto Growlmon's leg. "It's okay, Growlmon." Takato grind his teeth at the sensation of the blood returning to his legs.

"Tusk Crusher!!" A pair of tusks were suddenly launched at them.

* * *

"Desolation Claw!" Cyberdramon roared as data erasing energy erupted from his claws. Unfortunately, likewise for Gargomon's attacks, Assaultmon easily dodged them with his speed.

"Justice Massacre!!" Assaultmon countered as gun ports all around him opened fire on Cyberdramon. The Ultimate cyborg dragon took to the air, using his ability of flight against Assaultmon.

"Desolation Claw!!" The attack rained down on Assaultmon, but the centaur rushed though the attack, weaving in and out effortlessly despite his obvious bulk.

"Surprise Attack!" Assaultmon exited the energy rain behind Cyberdramon, and used his strong legs to kick himself into the air. Cyberdramon was taken by surprise, much to the attack's name, as he flew to one side to avoid Assaultmon's tackle. Time slowed. Assaultmon was going slowly. Already, Cyberdramon could see his mistake.

Assaultmon intended for him to dodge the tackle, for it was never the attack in the first place. Cyberdramon was forced to watch as Assaultmon's leap drew him nearer and nearer to where Cyberdramon himself hovered mere microseconds before, and point one of his arm turrets at his visor as he passed. There was not going to be anyone to save him now, unlike how he saved Gargomon.

Assaultmon's eyes shone with victory, and all Cyberdramon could do was growl in the centaur's mechanical face before the explosion of the gun firing at point-blank range in his face sent him flying backward.

Cyberdramon flew back into the sand, hitting it hard as time seemed to fast forward and make his fall even more painful.

A small light shone as what remainder of his energy he had used to Digivolve into Cyberdramon was sapped away to endure the attack, reducing him back into Strikedramon. Within Strikedramon, a headache materialized, as the three personalities within him that represented and controlled the three respective forms of Monodramon, Strikedramon and Cyberdramon shifted.

Strikedramon was now in control. The rage of Cyberdramon's personality that overcharged each and every attack faded away to be replaced by the calm intelligence of Strikedramon. Unlike most other Strikedramon, who rely on their instincts, Strikedramon neglects them for, they were simply not... him. In his opinion, instincts are unnecessary when he could already figure out all that was needed with his brainpower. Also, neglecting his instincts meant that he could use his previous memories of being in his Champion form instead of having to waste precious seconds to adapt to the abrupt switch from tanker to speeder.

"Justice Massacre!!" Assualtmon's words registered in Strikedramon's mind, as his brain processed it at a speed only a super computer could, most unlike his other personalities who never made use of this ability. With only a single microsecond, Strikedramon already worked out the math on how each and every one of the bullets would exit the turret, and considered each and every single factor of wind and the movement of Assaultmon that would unbalance the attack into the equation. In his mind, he already knew how to dodge all the bullets. It was only a question of whether his body could keep up with his lightning fast commands.

Fortunately, his Champion form's main forte was speed. And speed was all Strikedramon needed.

Strikedramon grinned as he leapt into the air, straight into Assaultmon's attack.

* * *

Rika felt each and every beat of her fast pounding heart more than anything. Ryo's words kept repeating themselves in her mind as she stared at where Ryo vanished, while Kazu, Kenta and MarineAngemon looked at her. Kyuubimon kept moving, as though she didn't hear or was awaiting for Rika's next order.

Ryo's words hit her like nothing could. The fact that they were true, very true, was the key factor. And she knew it. _Why? Why am I doing this? They are my friends, right? But what does being a friend mean? _Right then, she did not know which was more painful: Ryo's words, or her guilt.

She registered MarineAngemon's slight 'pu'ing, and Kenta sliently asking his partner to keep quiet. She never thought there would be a time when she did not feel like yelling at the two. She glanced at them with a frown of indecision, while they looked back in fear.

"Um... Rika... please don't yell." Kenta whispered hopefully.

That was what that snapped her. "How dare you insensitive, **idiots**!!" However, that was the very thing that sparked her memories, the good times with the other Tamers. She discovered through reviewing her memories one thing: She could not leave her friends to die. With a fist, she pushed Kazu and Kenta off Kyuubimon, causing them to tumble on the sandy ground. Ryo's words finally hit her. _No. I am not going to lose the only friends I have since years!_

"Kyuubimon..." Rika began determinedly.

"I know Rika." Kyuubimon interrupted as she made a U-turn by twisting to one side, skidding to a halt and backtracking the way she came. "I already know." Rika mentally thanked Kyuubimon, glad that her partner understood her so well. _I guess Kyuubimon would have said what Ryo did at some point, but I suppose Ryo's bluntness got to me. _She smiled. She suddenly felt more alive than she had ever did since Renamon disappeared. She felt as though an extremely heavy burden had been removed from her chest upon the realisation.

Kazu and Kenta's voices were soon heard. "You can't leave us here like this!!" Rika was glad to find out she was back in the mood of yelling at them.

"Stay here morons! You will be safer!"

"But..." The two protested.

She tuned out their voices, focused on getting back to the battle she had missed, and feeling Kyuubimon's enthusiasm at doing so as well. The pure joy of being where she was at the moment hit her, and she allowed herself to enjoy it; to enjoy the feeling of having such friends; to enjoy the fact that for the first time, she was not running away, that she was running to the battle to help her friends. The battle against the D-Reaper didn't count. She still doubted then, but now, she was ready, freed of any kind of restraint in attempt at friendship with her fellow Tamers.

Rika Nonaka had finally opened her eyes.

* * *

Strikedramon leapt into the rain of bullets. It was impossible to dodge them all, that much was sure, but Strikedramon made sure that the bullets that hit him would bounce off what little armor he had instead of hitting his flesh. When Strikedramon and the falling Assaultmon drew close enough, Strikedramon's metal armor began to heat up alarmingly, though Strikedramon was not bothered by it. Suddenly, his armor and his entire being burst into blue flames, in an attack not unlike Flamedramon's Fire Rocket.

"Strike Fang!!" Assaultmon could not manoeuvre in mid-air, so he brought up his arm turrets in a cross in an attempt to block the attack. Strikedramon slammed in the metal... hard. Both Digimon held that position for a moment, before bouncing off the other, Strikedramon landing agilely on his feet while Assaultmon's all four legs hit the sand and sank in, effectively trapping him. Strikedramon grinned yet again, as Assaultmon leveled his weapon at him.

"Justice Massacre!!" The gun clicked, and the gun shot sounded, but nothing came out of the turret. The weapon clicked again, but still nothing came out. Assaultmon tried his other arm turret, but still no bullets came out. Strikedramon's grin grew even wider. Assaultmon glared at him. "What have you done to my weapons?!" He asked fiercely.

Strikedramon allowed his grin to fade. "Simple. Your weapon has a cooling system that allows the turrets to cool instantly with each shot. As it was made to be efficient and be as light as possible for easy usage, it cannot withstand heat longer than the nanoseconds needed to cool it down." Strikedramon grinned yet again as realisation dawned on Assaultmon. "So, prolonged exposure to my attack has melted your turret enough such that the bullets couldn't exit. And your first shot just made it permanent. Simple, yet effective."

Assaultmon tried to charge at him, but the centaur's metal legs were trapped in the sand, and him not moving during Strikedramon's explanation made it such that he sank even further in, until his legs were rooted. "What! Why can't I move?!"

"Because you took your time to listen to me." Strikedramon said. "You are neutralised. And now to finish you." Strikedramon's claw lit up with a cold blue fire. Assaultmon's eyes widened for a moment, before he began to laugh. "What is so funny?" Strikedramon asked angrily.

"Fool. I wonder, will you stay to delete me? Or save your Tamer?" Assaultmon questioned, pointing one useless turret behind Strikedramon. The purple dragon turned around in time to see Mammothmon approaching Ryo, the other two Tamers and a red dinosaur that was likely to be the Digivolution of Guilmon.

"Tusk Crusher!!"

* * *

**Hurray! I got some action time for Strikedramon! That is something I have been wanting to do for a very long time, as this Strikedramon is different from the Strikedramon from Brave Tamer.**

**Firstly, I would like to thank the following for reviewing:**

**Matt Lans - Yep, Ryo _did_ convince her after all.  
Winter-Skye-Phoenix - It is nice to see someone taking a liking to my fic. I will answer your questions in time, as I have to find room to throw them in, but they will be answered nevertheless. Thanks also for the compliment.**

**As for the results of the Aftermath of 02 poll:**

_**Yes: 5  
**_**_No: 3_**

**Alright, I know now I am about to get flamed, so I'll make this quick. takes a deep breath I _will_ be publishing Aftermath of 02 before this fic's completion, but I have to reach a certain point in Brave Tamer first, so that I can unleash the full potential of the Aftermath. You can help by voting for another poll I have put up for Brave Tamer's progress. So if you wish to see Aftermath come out sooner... vote!! Also, I have put in a new chapter for the Aftermath sneak preview to further tease you guys.  
**

**Next, please review. I suppose I should beg for more, but really. Please... **

**AND DON'T FLAME ME!!**

**But review... and vote!! XD**


	20. Rika's Return and Ryo's Realisation

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Digimon, but I do own the plot, and DRAGOON.

* * *

_**Digimon Continuity**_

**Quest for the Digimon  
**

Chapter 20

_Rika's Return... and Ryo's Realisation  
_

* * *

**_:_. Digital Plane - Desert Plane  
**

**03:34 PM JST**

"Tusk Crasher!!"

"NO!" Strikedramon was heard exclaiming. Ryo spun around, watching in animated horror as the two energised blade-like tusks were thrown their way. Panic gripped Ryo's mind as he tried to pull himself from the thoughts of ENIAC and grip himself in the situation. By the time he did however, the attack was already too close. There was no way he could save Takato and Henry, not even himself...

The attack hit hard... on Growlmon as the already weak Champion took the full blow of the Ultimate's attack to protect his Tamer, Ryo and Henry. "Gargomon!" Henry shouted to his partner, holding a card in his hand to quickly take advantage of Growlmon's maneuver. "Digi-Modify! Reload Plug-In Q! Activate!"

Gargomon cheered as his ammunition was replenished. "Right on! Here's my thanks... Gargo Laser!!" With that, Gargomon's arm turrets began to spit bullets at Mammothmon and his passengers. However, the passengers; a Ninjamon and two Knightmon; had already leapt clear of the death trap and the two Knightmon began their charge toward Gargomon, using their ridiculously enormous blades to defect bullets from themselves and Mammothmon. Ninjamon headed straight for Strikedramon, as did Mammothmon.

Ryo could see why. Two Ultimates were enough to take on two Champions who had been already worn out by the previous battle between them and Assaultmon. The other two would make better progress with attacking the still battle ready Strikedramon. _I have to admit, whoever who taught these guys how to think is good._ Ryo thought as he accessed the situation. The next move was obviously to aid Strikedramon as best he could... but only if he could get out of Knightmon's attack alive.

"Berserk Sword!" Both Knightmon shouted in unison. Both giant blades came to bear on Growlmon and Gargomon, with only the latter having the agility to dodge while the former took the attack in his extended dragon blades. The impact of the giant swords hitting Growlmon's blades and the ground released a powerful shockwave that unbalance Ryo. Still, he managed to stead himself, but quickly jumped aside as Growlmon's weak form came crashing down where he once stood. It seemed that Growlmon had avoided to fall where his Tamer was, but at the same time forgot that Ryo was there.

The two Champions were losing. Gargomon's shots simply pinged off Knightmon's dense armour. Growlmon barely had the strength to keep up with the other Knightmon's attempts to hit his head off, and even less to stand, much less attack back. Ryo heard the two Digimons' respective Tamers try to encourage their Digimon, but they were worn out. _And encouragement isn't going to do much in this situation. I wish that Rika were still here. _Almost as if his mental plea had been heard, a familiar voice was heard.

"Need a hand, guys?"

Ryo's eyes widened in surprise. _RIKA!_ He did not expect her to come to her senses so soon... not that he wasn't grateful for it. "Rika!! You made it!" The other two Tamers said with the same amount of gratitude Ryo felt.

Kyuubimon was still far off, but he could see Rika waving, albeit she did not have Kazu, Kenta and MarineAngemon aboard. Ryo didn't bother to wonder if they were safe. Rika; _this_ Rika; would have made sure of that. Kyuubimon leapt into the air, while Rika stayed as close as possible to her partner's body, to streamline them and allow for greater speed... and something else as well. "Fox Tail Inferno!" Kyuubimon's nine tails lit up in a blue fire not unlike Strikedramon's own. It was only an instant where the attack stayed at the tips of the tail, before the tails began to shot fireballs like a machine gun.

The attacks were poorly aimed but effective. Ryo understood that aiming nine tails was not an easy feat. But he saw that most of the little faced attacks hit the Knightmon, who quickly brought up their blades to cover themselves from the attack. This was, however, their downfall, for they left Gargomon and Growlmon in a perfect position for attack.

"Take this! Bunny Pummel!"

"Dragon Slash!" Both attacks hit the unguarded parts of Knightmon hard, making them lose their defensive positions and be assaulted by Kyuubimon's Fox Tail Inferno. Rika soon came near on Kyuubimon, and jumped off.

"Of course I made it..." She said in her usual confidence. But he saw her glance his way and give him a silent message. Ryo smiled. She had thanked him. "... I wouldn't miss it for the world." Then Rika looked directly at him... and scowled. Ryo raised a questioning eyebrow at the sudden change of attitude. "What are you doing here, Akiyama?! Can't you see your Digimon getting slaughtered down there?!" She pointed at the purple dragon and his two foes. "And to think you would be setting the example seeing how _you_ scolded _me_ about not being caring," she finished.

Ryo shook his head while Takato and Henry looked on confused. _Some things never change after all..._ Then he grinned foolishly at her, and for a brief moment he was just like how he once was so long ago, like Takato: simple, absent-minded and naive. _Glad to have you back, Rika._

Still, he stepped up to her first, taking out the D-Terminal and deck he was supposed to have given her earlier, and enjoying her look of surprise when he did. "Here, you are going to need these, especially this..." He held up the deck. "... as I remember that you forgot to bring your own cards."

Rika blushed at her mistake, but accepted the two without another word. An explosion and a tremor soon captured Ryo's attention.

* * *

Strikedramon breathed a sigh of relief when Growlmon took the attack. However, it was cut short as he had let his guard down, allowing for Assaultmon to sweep his legs from under him. Strikedramon silently cursed himself for being so careless. But he had to admit. The metalic centaur was digging his own grave by doing what he did. Then Strikedramon realised that Assaultmon's 'attack' on him had been another distraction. The distraction gave Assaultmon's allies enough time to approach them, not giving enough time for Strikedramon to finish Assaultmon off.

_Still, he was smart to do that. I am impressed._ Strikedramon mentally admitted at Assaultmon's surprising stratagy. Strikedramon quickly pulled anymore praise or curses for the Ultimate from his head, focusing on the task of having the fend off two other Digimon. Strikedramon sank himself into the calmness of his mind, allowing logic and calculation to take over.

"Tusk Crasher!!" Mammothmon shouted as his tusks released two energised blades of energy at Strikedramon. To him, it was moving slow... _extremely_ slow. He even had time to cock his head to one side before he jumped into the air, clearing both attacks at once... right into the attack of the Ninjamon.

"Iga-Style Sword!" The blade descended upon him, but Strikedramon quickly lit his claws and brought them to bear to halt the attack. Sparks flew as sword fought flaming claws. But the weapon did not break, leading Strikedramon to conclude that it was Chrome Digizoid metal that was thick enough to stand the fire in his claws. _But can _he _stand fire?_ Strikedramon wondered briefly before his entire being burst into cold blue flames that matched Kyuubimon's in colour.

"Strike Fang!" Strikedramon pushed against Ninjamon, overcoming the smaller Digimon's resistance. Ninjamon intelligently broke the stand-off and twisted away from his line of attack, or he would have otherwise been cornered and put out of the battle. Ninjamon however, did not stop there. The Digimon quickly attacked Strikedramon's exposed back with yet another attack.

"Iga-Style Shuriken!" Ninjamon exclaimed as he flung several shurikens at him. Strikedramon quickly turned around to face the attack, hitting the boomerang-like stars away... only to have them explode in his face... literally. One explosion followed the other, making use of Strikedramon's surprise to their advantage. The purple dragon flew to the ground, his armour charred black from the explosive shurikens. _I didn't see that coming._ Strikedramon mentally groaned. This was not to be expected. _Note: remind self to read up on **all** Digimon, their abilities and attacks._

Hand on his armoured head, Strikedramon got wobbly to his feet. His vision stirred, before it focused on a charging Mammothmon heading head on toward him. _I never thought I'd say this, but... Oh crap._ Mammothmon's tusks were put forward like spears, not doubt with the same intention of going in from one side of him and out. Strikedramon cleared his mind such that the fog of pain there disappeared, and focused entirely on Mammothmon.

The velocity at which Mammothmon was charging at him was instantly calculated, and he didn't like the numbers. Nonetheless, Strikedramon came up with a strategy to use that speed against Mammothmon. Grinning, he lit his entire being, and waited. Once Mammothmon's tusks were within arm's reach, Strikedramon threw himself on them, but made sure to allow the two sharp tusks to slide under his arms as he grabbed onto them. Then he directed the two tusks toward the ground, causing Mammothmon to jerk in surprise as he lost his footing on his hind legs. Strikedramon allowed the tusks to root into the ground, and allow Mammothmon's own speed to do the work of sending him over his head and onto his back.

Strikedramon slid under the front legs of Mammothmon, preventing the giant elephant-like Digimon from crushing him flat. "Iga-Style Shuriken!" Ninjamon attacked while he was still getting up, but Strikedramon anticipated that. _Not so tough when surprise is out of the equation, huh? _Strikedramon mentally taunted as he allowed himself to fall back onto the ground to dodge Ninjamon's attack and avoid another explosive outcome. The shurikens passed harmlessly over him, though he could have sworn one came close enough to touch his chest. Part of him worried that his flame would ignite the shurikens. Though they did not harm him... they did awful damage to the underside of Mammothmon, who unfortunately still hadn't rolled over to his side yet.

"No! Mammothmon!" Ninjamon exclaimed as his own attack back fired on his ally. Ninjamon then turned to Strikedramon. "You will pay for that!" Strikedramon shook his head.

"No. You will!" The dragon man exclaimed as he leapt forward, still ablaze. "Strike Fang!"

Ninjamon grind his teeth as he tried to leap away, but Strikedramon was far too close. As the purple dragon prepared to counter anything that Ninjamon was to throw at him, Strikedramon was completely taken by surprise by Ninjamon's next move. "Tree Leaf Dance!" Strikedramon expected Ninjamon to begining flinging sharp leaves with some kind of special property at him, but the latter promptly disappeared_ into_ leaves, while Strikedramon passed through them, lighting them into little fires. The dragon Champion quickly glanced around, looking for his opponent when he was abruptly hit from behind by a little tornado.

As his face met the sand, another thought passed through Strikedramon's mind. _I definitely need to check up on the Digimon attacks next time. _Ninjamon quickly moved in for the kill, but Strikedramon was saved when Ninjamon was distracted by a 'swooshing' sound. A whining screech soon followed as air was displaced by the speed of a familiar incoming object. _DRAGOON! _On cue, distinct parts of the Zero-Arms came into view, showering Ninjamon with single pinpoint lasers in lieu of fully automated spray fire, hitting the mutant Digimon each time a shot was fired.

DRAGOON then swept down and scooped Ninjamon from the ground with his front 'claws', just like how an eagle would do to a prey. Strikedramon saw DRAGOON's head look downward at his 'prey', and opened his mouth wide. Strikedramon had a sense of dejavu remembering blurry images of Grani from Cyberdramon's memories as energy charged in three points between the two jaws, linking together. "Yuggoth... Blaster!" The beam at point blank range impacted brutally on Ninjamon, as the pure power of the energy beam sent Ninjamon rocketting toward the ground and landing harshly. The purple dragon swore he felt enough tremors to believe that the hole Ninjamon's crash made was big... and enough to believe that Ninjamon was deleted.

"Strikedramon!" Ryo Akiyama rushed to his partner's side as fast as he could given his current injuries, helping the said Digimon up to his feet, albeit with a little difficulty. The purple dragon did not object. However, Mammothmon had somehow or rather managed to get to his feet.

"You will pay for that. Tusk Crasher!!" Mammothmon exclaimed as he let loose another attack. Strikedramon quickly pulled Ryo away, strafing right to dodge the attack. DRAGOON flew in to cover them, bringing its weapons to bear on Mammothmon. Strikedramon calculated that DRAGOON was losing power due to the usage of the Yuggoth Blaster, and likely could not do so again without risk of shutting himself completely down.

"Come on, Strikedramon," Ryo told him in confidence as the latter got to his feet. "Let's bring this to the next level." Ryo then held out his D-Power, and shouted the magic words. "BIOMERGE ACTIVATE!"

...

...

Nothing happened. Ryo looked astounded at his D-Power, then to Strikedramon, eyes conveying a single message: _We're in trouble._

* * *

_**:.**_** Real World - Japan, Tokyo, Tokyo Metropolitan Towers  
Main Control Room**

**03:36 PM JST**

"Come on people, we can't do anything now. All you can do is go back home and get some rest. I will notify you at the first instance there is anything." Yamaki told the crowd of parents, siblings and friend of the Tamers. The Nonakas had gone back a while ago, with the older woman saying that she believed in Rika's ability.

It was obvious that they were wary, but a few were persistant in staying. "No, I will wait right here." Mrs Matsuki said, and so did Mrs Wong, who wanted to be allowed to stay to accompany her husband. Yamaki knew however that any exceptions would cause the others to want to stay as well.

"_No_. All of you are tired. If you want, give Riley your numbers and when we get contact with them we will put you through. That shouldn't be too hard... once we get enough users on the Internet to use their processing data to scan the Digital World." Yamaki said. They would usually use Hypnos' mainframe to do so, but due to the current budget, they would have to make exceptions and use as little electricity as possible; the servers sapped a lot of it to scan the Digital World; so that the money would be put to better use upgrading equipment... or saved to continue further research such that travel to the Digital World could be made safer.

Reluctantly, the parents began to leave, not before they left their phone numbers behind. Yamaki would make sure to honor that promise, though he had little doubt that they would make it out just like they did the first time. Yamaki believed that the parents knew this as well, but it was most likely that they simply wanted to reassure themselves.

Upon seeing Jeri Katou leave however, Yamaki couldn't help but feel a pang of pity for the girl, seeing how she no longer had a Digimon partner to return to, and how all her Tamer friends were in the Digital World trying to find theirs. The blonde man strolled over to the table where he found two young kids waiting for him, and noticed two adults waiting at the door. He returned his attention to the children, remembering them to be Tamers as well. "You want me to help you do something?"

The female of the two nodded. Then she withdrew from a little bag a D-Power Digivice. "Can you give this to Impmon?" She asked.

Yamaki shook his head. "I'm sorry, but I wish you were here sooner, because now the Tamers have gone."

"Oh..." The little girl looked downcast. "... then can I leave it here?"

Yamaki nodded, though he didn't know why the girl would want to do that. "Sure you can."

"Thank you, Mr. Can you give it to Impmon for me if he comes back while I and my brother are away?" The girl asked softly. Yamaki nodded his response, and the adults standing at the door ushered the children out of the room, leaving only him and Riley in the empty meeting room.

Yamaki watched them as they went, while Riley checked the names and numbers, putting them together into a list for easy use. "So, I think you are not so bad with kids after all," Riley commented.

Yamaki suppressed a smile, and put his irritated tone back into his voice. "What are you doing here talking to me about kids, Riley? Get back to work!"

Riley shook her head as Yamaki heard something about being unable to take a joke. He sighed as he followed her out.

* * *

"Rika." Kyuubimon warned. The said girl quickly returned her attention to the battle, after accepting from Ryo a deck and a D-Terminal before the latter rushed to his Digimon, though she did not have time to explore the contents of either. The two Knightmon were just getting up, holding their enormous blades with one hand and taking out a sheathed sword from another.

"Gargomon, can you go on?" Henry asked his partner in concern.

"What about you, Growlmon?" Takato asked as well.

"I'll be fine, Henry. I can kick tin can all day." Rika saw Kyuubimon roll her eyes at the bunny's response.

"I'm okay, Takato."

Both Tamers nodded, taking out a card each to help their respective Digimon. Rika quickly took out the deck, expecting a few of the worst cards she should ever see in Ryo's spare deck. Much to her surprise, the deck contained many useful cards, some of which she never even knew existed, all fitting her style perfectly well. It was as though someone hired someone with her skill and personality to make this deck. Rika pushed aside any more thoughts on the deck when the Knightmon made to attack, preparing herself with a card.

"Berserk Sword!" The Knightmon charged for them, Kyuubimon agilely leapt out of range, while Gargomon and Growlmon countered instead.

"Dragon Slash!"

"Bunny Pummel!"

The two Berserk Swords met the Champions' respective attacks, but the Knightmon had another trick up their sleeves. "Armour Knife!" The next attack was easily anticipated, and easily fend off by the two Champions. However, the Knightmon, as one, brought their Berserk Swords out of the lock between the attacks, and slammed the flat end hard on both Growlmon's and Gargomon's sides, hitting them into each other.

"Growlmon!"

"Gargomon!" Takato and Henry said together in horror.

Kyuubimon quickly jumped over her two allies, attacking. "Fox Flame Dragon!" She shouted her attack, curling herself into a ball while blue fire mounded itself into a dragon, charging at the two Knightmon. The armoured knight Digimon withdrew their blades and crossed them to allow for a more fortified defense. Her attack bounced off the two intercrossed weapons, while Kyuubimon made to rebound on the weapons to attack again from a better angle.

The Knightmon didn't give her the chance, for when she was close enough, they opened their swords to reveal an Armour Knife attack waiting like spikes at the bottom of a pit. Kyuubimon was too near the knifes and her momentum was bring her to it as sure as gravity would. Fortunately, she was hit away from her doom by a purple blur. _Huh?_

An unfamiliar humanoid Digimon landed beside Kyuubimon after saving her from likely deletion. She began to wonder who the Digimon was before Ryo came over, panic in his eyes. Then she remembered from the card game that it was Strikedramon, Monodramon's and Cyberdramon's more likely Champion form... and remembering it from Ryo's deck so long ago during the competition, before he surprised her well-prepared deck with something else.

But Rika quickly shook herself from the thoughts before it lead to the unpleasant memory of her father's death that she recounted to Renamon still fresh in her mind. Ryo quickly voiced his worry. "Guys! We can't Biomerge!"

Rika raised an eyebrow. "You mean you don't know?" Henry asked before she could, then the blue-haired boy turned to Takato. "Takato! Please don't tell me you forgot to tell him?!" Henry pleaded.

Takato began to scratch his head. "Um... then I won't tell you."

"Hey, guys... sorry about interrupting but... what are we going to do about that?!" Impmon said, seemingly appearing out of nowhere along with Lopmon, both who Rika assumed were told to go into hiding after Growlmon fell by Takato and Henry, as both were passengers of the red dinosaur as well. She followed his shaking finger to Mammothmon charging toward them directly behind Ryo.

"Akiyama! Weren't you supposed to take care of that?!" She asked irritated, though the irritation masked her increasing fear of what Ryo would say next.

"No, we can't. It's too much for even Strikedramon, and DRAGOON is running low on power." He gestured to Strikedramon's charred armour and DRAGOON's unsteady flight pattern. "We have to run!"

"Run?" Impmon asked in disbelief.

"Ryo is right, Rika." Kyuubimon supported whist holding off the three other Ultimates. "We have no choice. It is too much for us, and look at Growlmon and Gargomon."

All of them looked at her, as they seemed only to need her approval. She knew in her heart that all the others had already agreed to Ryo's answer, and were only waiting for her decision. There was no doubt that they would discard running away to stay with her should she choose to stay and fight, even Ryo himself. "Alright. Let's get out of here."

"Then it is unanimous guys." Henry said, looking to all while they nodded their heads in approval. Impmon did so reluctantly, but agreed too. "DRAGOON, do you think you have enough power to get us out of here?" He asked, panic in his voice while their Digimon began to fall one by one.

"Yes, but barely." DRAGOON replied.

"We mustn't forget the two moron twins as well." Rika reminded.

"Right, we can cut across where you left them." Henry said.

"Then let's get on!" Takato exclaimed after Growlmon fell to his feet and dedigivolved. Takato quickly helped his partner up. "NOW!"

All rushed to the small door on DRAGOON's side just behind his arm, which he would eventually secure when he took flight by streamlining his body and locking his arm over it. Ryo and Strikedramon were the last to board, with Ryo using a Digimon card on Strikedramon that resulted in the latter letting loose an explosive attack that kept the three Ultimates at bay long enough for the two to reach the door and in.

DRAGOON took flight, while her partner, now an extremely weak Renamon, pointed a shaking arm toward the direction where they should go, while Henry did what he did to tell DRAGOON, which to her surprise was talk to the open D-Terminal. They soon blasted off, leaving the three slow Ultimates behind. Rika sighed in relief, hoping to be able to go home and out of this mess soon. She still had a lot to make up for, not to mention how her mother and grandmother were going to feel about her departure. _I hate to be so guilty conscious._

* * *

Farther away, during the course of the battle, Kazu and Kenta stood behind a fallen MarineAngemon. A TigerVespamon, though severely injured, had arose from the sand and still managed to damage MarineAngemon enough to bring the latter down. The bug warrior looked at them evilly. "We shall eliminate the threat of humans from the Digital Plane by luring them into a convenient trap!" He pointed a finger to them. "And you will do extremely well as bait."

Kazu, though extremely afraid at the lack of the presence of his partner by his side and their current situation, could not help but let a thought run through his mind. _Digital Plane? Is he talking about the Digital World?_

* * *

**I think I kinda rushed through the last bit of DRAGOON taking off, but I think I make up for it by finally correcting the Tamers long time error of mixing up the Digital Plane (Tamer's Digital World, the one with all the planes like the Desert Plane, Sovereign Plane...) and the actual Digital World (Server, File Island, Folder...).**

**Now, I want to thank the following for reviewing:**

**Winter-Skye-Phoenix  
Lunar Mika Black  
A Flying Tomato  
**

**Next, I would like to inform those who still don't know: Aftermath of 02 is out. I would also have you note that I have Mystery of Cyberdramon released as well. I will put up my updating cycle on my profile page, and continue to update it with which fic I am currently updating.**

**Lastly, review what you think of this chapter.**


	21. Decisions and the D Power

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Digimon, but I do own the plot, and DRAGOON.

* * *

**Digimon Continuity**

**_Quest for the Digimon_  
**

Chapter 21

_Decisions and the D-Power_

* * *

**_:_. Digital Plane - Desert Plane  
DRAGOON  
**

**03:50 PM JST**

"I don't see them anywhere."

"Those moron twins. Once I get my hands on them..."

"Will you please stop making threats and just look?" Ryo asked Rika in exasperation.

"What do you think, Akiyama?" She asked the boy, eyes narrowing. When he didn't answer, she gave hers. "No of course!" Ryo shook his head and ran a hand through his hair, as messing it up further. His back hurt slightly as he overexerted himself, but he ignored it the best he could, remembering the days in ENIAC's world where he never seemed to have time to recover from his old injuries before new ones came.

"Do you think something might have happened to Kazu and Kenta?" Takato asked worriedly.

Henry shook his head. "No way, Kenta had MarineAngemon with him. He should have been able to take care of himself..." Henry hesitated, before frowning. "... for a while anyway, long enough for us to have stumbled upon them and found them by now," he added worriedly, trying to reassure himself as much as the others.

"Oh, I'm sure they could have taken care of themselves," Rika said sarcastically, though Ryo thought that her voice contained a slight tremor as well. "It's just that they decided to wonder off and probably found another Jijimon and Babamon to bunk with." Ryo knew that she didn't mean what she said, it was just her way of voicing out worry for them. Weird, but at least he knew she was also worried.

"You know that they aren't so irresponsible!" Takato defended, though Ryo would say that he wouldn't quite agree. "Are you sure you got the direction right? Maybe you pointed us the wrong way!"

"Are you saying that Renamon got it _wrong_?" Rika asked, the tone of her voice indicating as though Takato had called into question Renamon's fighting abilities.

"Calm down, Rika. I am sure that Takato didn't mean that," Ryo said.

"I don't care what Gogglehead meant, Akiyama," She spat with her usual venom, as though the good little reunion just now didn't happen. "And I certainly _don'__t _care what _you_ are sure of." Ryo rolled his eyes. _Note to self: Try and get Rika to like me better and be less sarcastic when expressing herself._ He thought a moment, then shook his head and amended. _Re note to self: Don't even try to make Rika less sarcastic... until fully recovered. _Ryo allowed himself a faint smile, but Rika, of course, misunderstood it. "If you are enjoying me scolding you, Akiyama, you seriously need to visit the mental institute."

_If I didn't hate her before, I do now._ Ryo thought, decided to change the subject. "So, we can't find Kazu and Kenta, now what do we do?"

Henry put his hand under his chin, striking a thinking pose. "Well, the obvious thing to do is to find out who is the Digimon trying to kill us," he said after a while.

"Digimon_s_," Terriermon added from the top of Henry's head.

"_Digimons_," Henry agreed.

"What about us not being able to Biomerge?" Takato asked. Henry looked to Takato with a frown.

"Well, we can't do anything about that. I think maybe only the Sovereigns know the answer."

"I'm _sure_ that is the answer," Rika said, still sarcastic. "Maybe we should present ourselves on a silver platter so that we don't lose pride when we get our butts handed to us by Zhuqiaomon again!"

Ryo looked at Rika with a raised eyebrow. "You know that that makes no sense, right?" The comment was mainly directed at Rika, so it lead to her rolling her eyes. Ryo slightly heard Terriermon saying that they kicked his butt.

"It's called sarcasm, Akiyama, read a book."

"I've read more books than you have fought Digimon battles," Ryo countered smoothly, allowing the argument to calm his adrenaline pumped heart from the battles. What could he say? Arguments helped do that a whole lot. _Maybe Rika is right and I am not sane._

"Really? I thought you couldn't read to save your life. It's a wonder you ever got past the card game manual." Apparently, having something that was an everyday thing to all seemed to calm everyone down too, seeing the smiling faces of the others.

"I love you too, Rika," Ryo grinned sadistically. This was growing far too interesting to stop... though he knew someone would get hurt if he didn't do so soon.

Rika's eyebrows met in a V shape. "Akiyama..." She said with barely suppressed anger. "... I dare you to say that again." She narrowed her eyes as the tension within the interior of DRAGOON began to build up.

Ryo seemed completely unaffected by this... well, he actually _was _unaffected. "What? That I hate you? Yeah, I'm sure you share the same sentiments." He let his face form into a smile that was sure to annoy Rika. Renamon had to, even in her state, be the one to restrain Rika from pouncing on him. Strikedramon seemed uneasy, standing by Ryo, but appeared to be ready should Rika ever go out of control. Ryo suddenly felt a pang of fear and a dampening of his confidence. He was still unsure about Strikedramon, unsure about whether he would not attack Rika should she ever break free of Renamon. Ryo quickly swallowed and apologised. "Sorry Rika, I didn't really mean to get you worked up like that."

Rika stopped suddenly, looking at him with an awed, disbelieving look. "Did I just hear what I thought I heard?" She glanced to Renamon. "Did Akiyama just say sorry?" When the kitsune nodded, she turned pale, obviously supressing laughter as though the world had just turned upside down... or that Terriermon had just been hit in the head for a comment. Still, he would never live that down.

"Come on guys, can we get back on what we were talking about?" Takato asked nervously.

"Yeah sure," Rika scoffed, but she was calming down. "So tell me, what's the great plan to get our butts kicked? I'm all ears." Ryo, however, had to force himself away from the thoughts about Strikedramon's loyalty.

Ryo shook his head, but gestured for Henry to go on with his good hand absent-mindedly. "Well, since it is clear that the only Digimon we actually know that would help us is the Sovereign... _Azulongmon _specifically," Henry said, straining the name of the blue dragon mainly for Rika's benefit. "I'm sure that he'll help us find out who's trying to kill us all. After all, he did save us from Zhuqiaomon."

Unlike Rika, Henry's voice indicated that he truly believed what he had said. Ryo was mentally shrugging at the coincidental appearance of the only Holy Beast he ever truly knew. There seemed to be a lot of coincidences between the Chosen's Digital World and this one, not to mention that practically all the Holy Beasts manifested as Sovereigns here.

He wondered faintly if this Azulongmon would look exactly alike to the Azulongmon he knew during the D-1 Tournament, but shook his head. All the Digimon seemed exactly identical, except for perhaps the slight difference in personality here and there. The diffences between the Digimon was almost non-existant. The difference in the adventures of the humans were. _Oh well. _Ryo thought, deciding to stop his chain of thought before it strayed too much to unpleasant memories.

"Well, then I guess we go and find Azulongmon then?" Guilmon asked.

"One problem fellow mons and humans," Terriermon said with unusual courtesy. The latter grinned less than pleasantly, leading Ryo to believe that perhaps he didn't want to hear what the dog-bunny had to say next. "You can't really go around chasing a cloud, we don't even know where to begin!"

Takato began the nervous habit of scratching the back of his head... again. "Um... yeah, that is a problem."

Henry buried his face in his hands, clear that he had not expected this. Not surprising seeing how little time he had to think all of this up in the first place, Ryo had to give the guy credit nonetheless. "Now what do we do?" Henry asked the room full of Digimon and humans.

Terriermon instantly came up with the most insane and brilliant idea ever. "Well, we could always find good old Zhuqs." Ryo's jaw dropped. If he had heard right, and his memories were in the right order, Terriermon was almost deleted by Zhuqiaomon and the other Tamers had a hard time with the Sovereign. Suggesting to find the phoenix should have been the last thing on Terriermon's mind.

Apparently not.

"How did you work that one out?" Renamon asked curiously.

"Well, it is obvious, isn't it?" The green bunny asked, looking around. All shook their heads. "Geez, am I the only smart one around here?"

"Stop boasting and explain!" Impmon said irritated.

"Of course. We go there because... who is Zhuqs to the Digital World?" He spread his ears open wide.

"I think I'm speaking for us all when I say I'm not catching what you're getting at, Terriermon," Henry said to the Digimon perched on his head.

"Come on guys! Try!" The happy bunny answered.

"Umm... our worst nightmare?" Guilmon asked.

"Just get to the point, Terriermon!" Renamon said in exasperation.

"Okay, you don't have to yell," the bunny winced. "Alright, well, since good old Zhuqs-" Ryo thought Henry whisper to Terriermon not to say that. "-is a Sovereign, so he is sure to know where Azulongmon is!"

Ryo would have palmed his forehead... were it not for the fact that he was severely injured and that doing so would hurt, a lot. Henry, however, did, causing Terriermon to slip slightly. Rika rolled her eyes again. Still, Ryo cursed himself for not seeing it sooner.

"You know, you actually made sense," Impmon said in simliar awe to when Rika heard Ryo apologising. "I don't believe it." Banging his head on the wall sure looked like what Impmon's expression said he planned to do, though Ryo was glad the former never carried it out.

"I'm shocked," Rika said simply.

"So... the decision is made?" Takato asked.

Henry nodded. "All in favour?" The others, including Ryo, raised their hands.

"But what if Zhuqiaomon doesn't want to help us?" Takato asked.

"I think that maybe I can convince him," Lopmon said from the ground, causing all to look at her.

"No offence, but the last time you did, we had to kick his butt," Terriermon grinned.

"Well, never know until we find out, right?" Henry asked.

Ryo nodded. "I guess we have to tell DRAGOON..."

"No need," DRAGOON's voice came. "I already know."

Ryo sighed. "Good then, I think maybe we should take this time to relax a while. Who knows when we need to fight again?" _I hope this works._

* * *

**_:_. Digital Plane - Unknown Location  
**

**03:55 PM JST**

"Umm... Kazu?"

"Yeah what?"

"I don't like this."

"Me neither, but better zip it before your big mouth gets us into more trouble."

"Umm... they can't hear us, and I didn't get us in trouble."

"I can't hear myself think and you will!"

"Sorry."

Kazu looked around, taking in his surroundings once again, feeling slightly guilty about doing what he did. He and Kenta had been knocked out quite a while ago, he could still feel the bump on his head when the bug warrior asked them to turn around and hit something hard on their head. Kazu believed it to be the hilt of the blade he carried to take down MarineAngemon, and was just glad the Digimon did not use the other end.

_MarineAngemon... Guardromon... _He was worried about their Digimon though. The bug warrior who had captured them had thrown them into a dungeon... or at least he thought it was one, seeing how there were no windows. But the room was painted in bright colours, all the way to the ceiling, with a comfortable bed and a... cushion on the ground. The bed was half their height, clearly made for a Digimon much smaller than them. He couldn't even begin to describe to cushion, as it was simply not made for a human. _Oh well, at least it makes a nice pillow to use when I am lying down on the ground._

He was lying on the ground mainly because he had given the bed to Kenta. Why? Well, it was half his height. His legs stuck out... a lot. Kenta had even resorted to sitting down on it like a chair. At least it was side by side to the wall.

Kazu looked at the blank ceiling, letting his comfortable position with the cool rock ground on his back lead him to calm, and worries. He worried about what was going on. He wanted to try and escape, but found no way to. Besides, they provided good food, even if it initially looked gross, it was nice. He was also worried about where MarineAngemon was, the one who would likely be a great help when escaping. He discarded one escaoe possibility after the other, but deep down he knew the worry for Guardromon was greater. Why had his partner not been with the other Digimon? There had to be a good reason.

_Maybe he got lost and couldn't find them. _Kazu thought. Not impossible. Guardromon had a hard time getting his sense of direction right while they were in the Real World. He did not want to consider the other possiblity that Guardromon was captured... or worst, dead. Kazu looked at his D-Power, which was emitting only blackness on its screen. It was strange really. The moment the Digimon left them, all their D-Powers turned into Jeri's, emitting only static sounds and a blank screen. They did not know why, but after a while, the D-Power's screen simply went blank.

Jeri's did too. For a horrifying few days, they were worried that their Digimon had actually been deleted when they left. It was the fact that Hypnos revealed that readings of the Digital World showed a few particular Digital signatures present. Their Digimon signatures. In short, Hypnos detected their Digimon, alive. It relieved them all, but the mystery of why their D-Powers did what they did was never solved. It was truly strange. The functions of the D-Power still worked, like time and all, even the map. But the map wouldn't show where their Digimon was anymore. Takato had tried it, but the map never worked to show him Guilmon's location like it did in the past. The Digi-Modify function was all but inaccessible.

However, Jeri's stayed blank, permanently dead, all functions cut off forever. It was just simply a piece of advanced computer junk now. Kazu had the sense never to say that, but it was true. He checked his D-Power every now and then since, making sure his D-Power still worked so that it was proof that his Digimon was still kicking. His idol, Ryo Akiyama, convinced them to keep their hopes up about meeting their Digimon again. _I never actually thought there would be a day when I simply thought Ryo as a normal person..._

It was true. Ryo kept hope, but there was still the haunted look about him that spoke volumes about the same loss that they felt, not to mention his reaction when the D-Powers began to go static. Kazu soon dragged his mind back to the present, checking his D-Power for the time, and also if Guardromon was still alive. It was really, really confusing. Kenta's D-Power's full functions came back online the moment the latter reunited with MarineAngemon.

He allowed his hands to hug the back of his head, putting his D-Power aside and relaxing. The door opened and a tray of food was put down by a Digimon he had no interest in identifying. This would have been a great time to make the run for it, but he had tried it before... and it hurt. Kazu made sure however to check the routine of the times they gave the food. It was pretty accurate. It would help... sometime soon.

But it was time for lunch... or dinner? "Kenta. Snack time."

...

...

"Kenta?" Kazu turned his head to find his friend asleep. The latter shook his head, before deciding to get up and eat a bit. His stomach was grumbling. _And I also need my strength when the time is right._

* * *

**Right, on a side note, those who don't know Ryo's history (the D-1 Tournament) should perhaps search a little. Otherwise, you may not be able to follow what is going on with Ryo's train of thought every now and then. I had made myself a note to mention this before, but always forgot. :D Recommend the DigimonWikia for those who know about it. That's a good place to go for info on Ryo.**

**But back to business. I believe that this is an interesting twist. Them going to visit our favourite phoenix ever. I think I have placed a nice little scene with Kazu reflecting... Still, thanks to ****Winter-Skye-Phoenix and Matt Lans for reviewing.  
**

**On another sidenote, Mystery of Cyberdramon will, I believe, provide insight on what is going on with Ryo's partner and also the identity of the Saviour. Now, review what you think of this chapter!  
**


	22. Calm Before The Storm

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Digimon, but I do own the plot, and DRAGOON.

* * *

_**Digimon Continuity**_

**Quest for the Digimon  
**

Chapter 22

_Calm Before The Storm  
_

* * *

**_:_. Digital Plane - Desert Plane  
DRAGOON  
**

**03:50 PM JST**

_Yamaki must have downloaded Ryo's maps into DRAGOON_. Takato thought absent-mindedly. _He seems to know where he's going._

It was truly odd. He would never have believed at the start of this morning when he went to school early that he would do all this today. Ever since Guilmon had disappeared, Takato had decided to make it a habit to actually get to school on time... only to fall asleep in class. Still, he stood by his first statement. Meeting Guilmon again was great... no, it was like the best thing that had ever happened, right next to Guilmon's first appearance and them Biomerging to form Dukemon.

_Dukemon... _Takato's thoughts slowly wondered to the Holy Knight. It was his and Guilmon's Biomerged form, who first appeared when he and Guilmon made up with each other for Takato's mistake of creating Megidramon and hurting his partner. It was also to stop Beelzemon. Right now, looking back on all the things that had happened and will happen, Takato still felt like all this was just one giant dream that he never wanted to wake up from.

Takato looked around. Most of them had taken Ryo's suggestion to get some rest, mainly the Digimon. Henry was at the head of the room of sorts, doing whatever it was that he was doing. Ryo was shuffling through his cards, sorting them for easy use, though the expression on his face revealed that he was in deep thought. Rika was the only one asleep, with the ever vigilant Renamon by her side, though Takato could not tell if the former was asleep or awake. Strikedramon stood beside her, glancing up to Ryo every now and then. Since there was nothing to attract his attention, save for Guilmon's rather regular loud snores, his thoughts wandered back to Dukemon.

Just a mere hour ago, Henry... or more accurately, Rika... had discovered that they could not Biomerge or Matrix Digivolve. That observation was soon confirmed by Ryo, who could not as well, though he did not test the latter problem. Henry tried to explain, but all he caught was that without Calumon's Shining Digivolution, it was all but impossible to do either of those. Takato never tried it, but he thought that Biomerging was something that was due to the connection and bond between Digimon and Tamer. Matrix Digivolution he still could not understand, so he took Henry's word for it... whatever it meant.

Takato did not doubt Henry, Rika and Ryo's words. However, he could not bring himself to believe that Dukemon was an inaccessible form to them now. It had truly been an experience, to unite with the best friend he ever had, the one he had created. He only wished that he had time to enjoy the sensation of his and Guilmon's minds fusing together to work on a single common goal, be it defeating Beelzemon or the D-Reaper. It was truly unlike anything he that he had ever felt before.

Takato's mind drifted again, to what would happen when they reached Zhuqiaomon's lair. He thought about what would really happen should Zhuqiaomon choose not to tell them Azulongmon's whereabouts. His heart began to worry. If they could not convince the Sovereign, they would have to fight him. As he recalled in the last battle, even three Megas could hardly harm the Sovereign. Only when Azulongmon came did the battle cease. How were they to fight him now?

As worry continued to plague him, Takato looked at his golden ringed D-Power. He remembered that Ryo had stared at it for some reason. Takato read the symbols on it for the hundredth time, unable to decipher the hidden message that was engraved in the golden ring. Maybe it held some secret message or something that could help them in this situation. Maybe.

Furthermore, Takato's worries moved to that of Kazu and Kenta. What had happened to them? Rika had left them somewhere, had something happened to them? Were they... _NO! Don't think that way. I am sure that they are alright. Maybe Kazu went by himself to find Guardromon... maybe..._

Takato allowed his head to rest on the bulk of the wall. All he had was more questions. He was not one that usually thought much, mainly daydreaming instead. Still... he hoped that when they reached their destination, Zhuqiaomon would be understanding and tell them Azulongmon's location. Otherwise, they would need a miracle.

_I think that we need a miracle anyway to have an understanding Zhuqiaomon... and even to have Azulongmon know what to do with the Digimons chasing them.  
_

A smile came to his face as he remembered how they had always pulled miracles from somewhere anyway, this should be no different... should be. With that, Takato let himself drift off to sleep.

* * *

**_:_. Digital Plane - Sovereign Plane  
DRAGOON  
**

**04:30 PM JST**

"I hope everyone's rested..." Takato said as they saw the ruins of what used to be Zhuqiaomon's palace through the eyes of DRAGOON as they flew toward it. Ryo saw that there were signs of it being reconstructed, and no sign of the phoenix Sovereign anywhere. He had only heard of how it looked like, having not really seen it up close before during his time. Cyberdramon had at that time preferred to stick more to the wilderness during his rampages.

"If he moved, maybe we can ask around for his new address," Terriermon suggested.

"Terriermon," Henry sighed.

"No, I don't think he has," Lopmon said from knee level.

"What makes ya think so?" Impmon asked.

"Just a feeling," Lopmon replied.

Terriermon rolled his eyes. "Oh great, we are basing our rescue mission on a feeling..."

"Terriermon..." Henry said again, a hint of a warning in his tone.

"Momentai, Henry," Terriermon said, spreading out his ears, making his perch wobble a little to balance himself.

Rika rolled her eyes. "Must I always be the voice of reason here? All we have to do is go out and check."

Terriermon put a finger to his chin, a perfect imitation of Henry in deep thought. "I thought you were the voice of anger and impulse?" Terriermon commented, heedless of his own safety.

Renamon had to be the one to restrain Rika from jumping on the smirking Terriermon and his innocent perch Henry. "I'll show you anger and IMPULSE!!"

"Perfect example right here..." Terriermon's smirk widened.

"Terriermon..." Henry said worriedly. "Please... learn the meaning of tact..."

"Sorry, Henry," the bunny apologised, though Ryo doubted it sounded even close to sincere. It was more like a natural reaction that didn't take more effort than rolling one's eyes.

Ryo took initiative and DRAGOON's door, stepping outside into the scarred landscape. Strikedramon swiftly followed, tailing him like a shadow. His shadow. Which was ironically more literal than Ryo liked. Guilmon followed, jumping off the platform onto the digital dirt, nose in the air. Henry slowed backed out, eyes on the angered Rika at all times. Terriermon acted like he didn't have a care in the world.

"So... uh... do we knock?" Takato asked from beside him. Ryo had apparently missed the gogglehead's departure from DRAGOON.

"Dunno, how did you guys enter the last time?" Ryo asked. After all, the boy was the one that had been here personally, not him.

"Um... we floated there?"

Ryo shrugged. "I don't see any bubbles... maybe we shouldn't have gotten off DRAGOON and have him get us there instead." In the background, Henry was busy covering Terriermon's mouth, with a flared Rika in his face, glaring at the green bunny in his arms. Ryo shook his head, turning to the others. "Come on guys, we should get going." Unconsciously, he made a headcount, a habit he picked up years ago. Mentally, he flinched when he recalled that Kazu, Kenta and their respective partners were absent. Ryo hoped that this encounter with the less than pleasant Sovereign would yield some answers.

"Uh... fellas... I don't think that is part of the scenery, is it?" Impmon asked no one in particular, uncertainty odd in his usually confident voice. Ryo followed his finger and found himself staring at a magnificent and horrible sight. One that he couldn't have missed, but somehow, he did.

The phoenix was right on top of them, descending from the clouds.

Ryo arched his neck as far as possible to see all of it, but couldn't. He was large... gigantic. The wings certainly made him look bigger than either of the Sovereigns that he had encountered. Actually seeing one right on top of you was not a position one liked to be in, even a hardened person like himself.

An entire life of fighting and survival snapped back, pushing Ryo to do things calmly. He held his D-Power up, though he was slightly surprised to find his hand trembling slightly. _Well, I guess meeting a Sovereign that more or less wouldn't hesitate to crush you flat would do that to you._

* * *

Takato once again felt the awe and terror of meeting Zhuqiaomon for the first time fill him. The good thing was, he had Guilmon by his side, so that helped a little. The bad thing... well, they were doomed without the ability to Biomerge. All of the Digimon jumped due to the close proximity of Zhuqiaomon, not unlike how they did the first time. All of them began to tense up, even Renamon... but not really growling. Then, Takato found out one Digimon was perfectly calm: Strikedramon. He was cool as a cucumber, which was a complete contrast to his Ultimate form who would more likely charge ahead of all of them.

Pushing the oddity away, Takato kept his eyes glued to Zhuqiaomon. Zhuqiaomon still radiated anger, but not as intense as it was before. It was as though the battle with the D-Reaper had taken something out of Zhuqiaomon.

"Tamers," Zhuqiaomon said, his voice causing a god-like echoing effect that vibrated all around him. "What are you doing in my land again?" Takato gulped. _At least he sounds calm..._ Takato tried to look on the positive side.

Lopmon seemed to be the only one who wasn't intimidated. Even Ryo's jaw was down. "Sovereign Zhuqiaomon... we have come to seek your help," Lopmon said in her respectful way.

The said Sovereign merely snorted... a godly snort indeed. "So Lopmon, your Tamers have come to seek my help?" Zhuqiaomon taunted, pushing Takato's nerves closer and closer to the snapping point with each second that passed. If he didn't know better, he would have thought it intentional. "Why don't you seek your all great Azulongmon instead?"

The silence that ensued was all he needed.

"Let me guess... you need my help because you couldn't find him."

Tension built up, as the Sovereign looked down at them, waiting for them to answer. Takato took a deep breath, summoning courage he didn't know he possessed. "Yes," He said, slightly astounded that he did not stammer. But he was incapable of longer replies, because at that moment, his courage seemed to desert him as the four eyes of the phoenix focused on him. Takato suddenly seemed to remember that he was literally an insect in the Sovereign's eyes.

However, his reply unlocked the voices of the others, allowing them to continue in his steed. "We need to find out why everyone is trying to kill us... and even where our friends are..." Henry said, the last part coming out as a hesitation. With a sharp intake of breath, Takato realised that they had also forgotten someone, someone that was the reason for their first 'visit' here. _Calumon... I can't believe we forgot about him... What kind of a friend, am I?_ Takato thought guiltily, though no one paid attention to him. All eyes were transfixed on either Henry or Zhuqiaomon.

"Kill you? I don't think I know the answer to that. Only one Digimon knows that," Zhuqiaomon said. "No others, not even me or Azulongmon. To go to him would have been wasting your time. This Digimon may also know the location of your... friends, something that neither of us Sovereigns know either." the phoenix finished, snorting at the last word.

"What do you mean that you don't know?" It was Ryo who asked this time. "I thought you Sovereigns were supposed to know everything about what happens around this place." The last part was more of a statement than a question.

Zhuqiaomon looked annoyed that a human would rebuke him like that. Takato was beginning to fear that something was about to happen when Zhuqiaomon answered, his voice still as calm as it could be. "Just because we are Sovereigns in this place doesn't mean that we know _everything_, human... or rather, the fabled Legendary Tamer."

Ryo sighed, a sound that sounded more like it was supposed to come from an old man rather than a fourteen year old. "I guess you are more omniscient than I thought."

"No," the Sovereign said. "I just hear things, enough to know about you and your partner Cyberdramon."

Henry soon cut back in, before the conversation got ugly. "Please, can you tell us where to find this Digimon."

Zhuqiaomon stared at Henry, while the latter trembled involuntarily. "I do not think that you have to find him. I think that _he_ will be the one to find _you_. After all, _he_ is the one now in charge of this world, he should know _everything_ that goes on here."

That shook Takato right to the core. Before he could stop himself, his curiosity took over and the question came out. "Why would you give him charge of the world?"

Zhuqiaomon now glared at him, mildly irritated... so far. Takato felt as though the Sovereign was drilling right into the back of his skull, searching for the reason why he had asked such a question. Then, after an eternity of silence, Zhuqiaomon spoke again. "I never said that I gave him charge of this world. Have you forgotten this world was governed by _Four _Sovereigns? I did not make that decision willingly. But I had to, because I need to rest from the battle with the True Enemy."

For the first time, wariness crept into Zhuqiaomon's voice, taking away the god-like tone and replacing it with vulnerability. "It was a battle that was truly difficult... impossible even. Only with _his _help did we vanquish the True Enemy and eliminate his threat to the Digital World and this continent..." Such emotion filled Zhuqiaomon's voice, emotion that Takato, nor anyone, would have believed possible for him.

"Who... is this Digimon?" Rika asked, her voice soft as well. Only those who truly knew her would have sensed the underlying fear in her tone. Hearing fear from the hardened Rika sent his spiking as well. _What kind of Digimon would have more power than the Sovereigns?_ Takato was certain that the same thought was running through all their minds.

However, Rika speaking had caused Zhuqiaomon to assume yet again his god-like tone, the vulnerability in his voice gone in an instant and replaced with rage. Rage that was likely due to the fact that he had shown weakness to what he considered 'vermin'. "Why does it matter to you?! All you want is your information! You care not for the affairs of the Digital World!! Now get out of my sight!! I will not help you!!"

"Please, Zhuqiaomon," Guilmon begged. Had Takato been hoping that the innocence in Guilmon's voice would be able to get to Zhuqiaomon, he would have been sorely disappointed.

"NO!!" The Sovereign thundered.

"PLEASE! We have to find out where the others are and why all this is happening!!" Ryo shouted, as though it could pass the barrier that Zhuqiaomon had put around himself after realising his mistake.

"LEAVE NOW OR YOU WILL SUFFER MY WRAITH!!"

Defiance flared in Ryo, as the latter roared back. "I have withstood the wraiths of Digimon much more powerful than you!!" Takato didn't know if that was true, but Ryo's fearlessness was contagious, Takato felt himself rearing up as well, his adrenaline peaking. The Digimon tensed up, ready for battle. Confidence and something else that Takato could not identify flared in Ryo's eyes, as the latter glared right back at the raging Zhuqiaomon. "You are no different! I will withstand you! And I will find out what _we_ need to know!!" With a single word, Ryo made this not just about him, but about all of them as well.

"Then I shall accomplish one wish that I have wanted for a long time! YOUR DELETION!!" Everything was building up to a climax. Unconsciously, Takato's hands found his D-Power, and he gripped it tightly. "CRIMSON BLAZE!!"

Ryo had far faster reflexes than any of them...

...He swiped a card so quickly that all Takato saw was a blur...

Sparks emerged from the D-Power...

... Strikedramon appeared in front of them all out of nowhere...

And abruptly, a hemisphere materialised around them. Zhuqiaomon's attack splashed across the shield, causing none of them any harm.

Takato brought up his D-Power an instant after the impact, swiping an Evolution Plug-In S through. In corner of his eye, he saw Henry and Rika do the same.

_And so the battle begins..._ Takato thought absent-mindedly.

* * *

**Hurray!! At long last, the moment I have been waiting for. A repeat of... what episode was it?... oh yeah, Episode 37. Well, more or less. **

**I just noticed that it was a month ago when I updated this fic... hmm... I have to work on that...**

**But who noticed a change? Those that did notice that I have suddenly added places and times to all the chapters of Quest. I plan to continue and do so to all my fics. However, I have not put in the date for a very simple reason: I want to give Aftermath a little freedom to work around. Once Aftermath is complete, I believe that the dates will be updated.**

**Thanks to Winter-Skye-Phoenix, SpookyButt and TT8WizziE8TT for reviewing. As for the answer to your question Winter, I would say wait and see, as Ryo's past is rather... complicated, so I believe that it will only be revealed in the next fic that follows. Another reason is of course that way it has more impact and I only have to do it one time for the Chosen and the Tamers.  
**

**Moving on, the battle with Zhuqiaomon is going to be interesting... but what battle isn't interesting?**

**Alright. Now review what you think!! **


	23. The Trick to Biomerging

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Digimon, but I do own the plot, and DRAGOON.

* * *

**Digimon Continuity**

**_Quest for the Digimon_  
**

Chapter 23

_The Trick to Biomerging_

* * *

**_:_. Digital Plane - Sovereign Plane  
DRAGOON  
**

**04:51 PM JST**

DIGIVOLUTION

"Renamon! Digivolve!!..."

"Guilmon! Digivolve!!..."

"Terriermon! Digivolve!!..."

Three orbs of blue, red and green surrounded each Digimon respectively. Strikedramon suddenly let out a feral roar, and light consumed him as well. Almost unwillingly, Cyberdramon emerged, just as the other Digimon did.

"Kyuubimon!!"

"Growlmon!!"

"Gargomon!!"

"Go Kyuubimon!!" Rika told her partner. "Let's show him!"

There may have been a hint of doubt in Kyuubimon's eyes, but Rika knew that she had the very same one. How were they supposed to defeat the Sovereign with only Champions and one out of control Ultimate? Even with three Ultimates at that time, none of them stood a chance. Even with SaintGargomon, the Sovereign still stood. It was next to impossible.

_But not impossible. And even if it is, we have to try!_ Rika thought in determination. Kyuubimon, following her orders to the letter, leapt at Zhuqiaomon.

"Alright, Gargomon, you heard her!" Henry agreed.

"Say no more! Gargo Lasers!!"

"Growlmon!-" Takato began.

"Right, Takato! Pyro Blaster!!"

"Fox Flame Dragon!!"

"Desolation Claw!!"

Multiple bullets, a giant fireball, a blue dragon, and a lot of data-erasing attacks shot from the four Digimon... all of them impacted on Zhuqiaomon with no effect at all. Rika bit her lip.

"HAHAHA! Even though I am injured, such puny attacks can do not harm to me!"

"He's right, guys. What do we do?" Henry asked in worry.

"We fight!" came her reply.

"We Modify," Ryo said. Rika thought she heard anger in the tone, but brushed it away. She was feeling the same way.

"Okay Growlmon!" Takato told his partner. "Try this. Digi-Modify! Devil's Chip!! Activate!!"

"... Boost Chip!! Activate!!"

"... Offence Plug-In A!! Activate!!"

Ryo however, did not take his own suggestion. He merely stared at his D-Power, unmoving. _What the hell is he doing?!_

* * *

Ryo stared at his D-Power, only half aware of what was going on around him. All his attention was inward. In the recesses of his heart.

Ryo was angry. Angrier than he had ever remembered. Ryo felt as though some part of him were missing, and without that part, concentrating on the battle was impossible. Everything seemed blurry to him, even the prospect of death. He did not understand. Why was he feeling this way? What had suddenly sapped the determination to fight, to _survive_ out of him?

Ryo looked up, where the enhanced attacks of the other three were being dished out on Zhuqiaomon with no effect whatsoever. Cyberdramon was simply thrusting Desolation Claws everywhere, hitting practically everything in front of him but Zhuqiaomon. He seemed to be in a rage. It was easily explainable by the presence of the Sovereign. But what was not explainable was why he was so inaccurate. Especially in a rage, Cyberdramon was next to a hundred percent accurate. It were almost as though he reflected what Ryo was feeling inside, the unwillingness to commit his everything into the battle...

_... In a sense, he is..._

Cyberdramon was a part of him, as was he a part of Cyberdramon. Ryo could feel Cyberdramon's frustration at missing. He could also feel that he was the cause of it. Nothing else. A part of Zhuqiaomon's Crimson Blaze attack exploded against the ground beside him, fragments flew and barely missed him. He heard someone shout his name. He wanted to reply, but found himself cut off from his body. He could not move, he could not do anything... but one thing.

Ryo had to solve what was wrong inside. Something inside was very, very wrong. He had to find out what that was.

Ryo ventured deep inside himself, where he was cut off from everything around him, completely oblivious. If he died at that moment, he wouldn't have noticed. But Ryo pushed that thought aside, and continued to venture deeper into himself.

It felt like exploring something new. He had kept so many things locked inside that he had forgotten them. Now he watched them again, recent scenes that he deemed embarrassing, or some that he thought as irrelevant while roughing it out in this world during his year here alone with only Cyberdramon. Ryo had already forgotten that he was in the midst of the battle, so engrossed in his own mind was he.

It had been forever since he had last reached into the realms of his mind and actually looked. There was so much that he had hidden, even from himself, so much that he had dared not face. The Chosen's betrayal, ENIAC's lies, Millenniummon were only a few of them. He looked, and remembered the good times he had as well. When he had pushed aside all memories of his past to start anew in the Tamer's world, he had also pushed away the good memories.

Memories of he and the other Chosen laughing together at just a silly joke, playing pranks. That was a part of him that he had locked himself from to maintain the image of the 'Legendary Tamer' and also to protect himself from the painful memories that were to follow. The part of him that truly knew what was the definition of fun, the part of him that didn't mind looking silly in front of his friends, so long as they were happy. Ryo realised that he missed that part of him.

Then, he remembered why he had ventured into his mind in the first place, and continued on, promising to return to these memories again. Suddenly, Ryo was pulled out of the trance he put himself in and thrust back into reality when something bumped into him.

His vision went black.

He could not see anything. Feel anything. Say anything. But he was conscious. Ryo still didn't understand what was going on. It had always been like this. He was always left in the dark... _How ironic that I am in nothing but darkness now..._ Ryo thought sadly.

Suddenly, a voice spoke. An impossible voice. One that should not still exist. He turned around, and saw the very last thing he ever wanted to see in any world, even one full of darkness.

Millenniummon.

And he was smiling.

Ryo hated it when a bad guy was smiling.

* * *

"AKIYAMA!! Wake up you son of a-"

"RIKA! Now is not the time to curse!"

Rika Nonaka pulled her death glare away from an unconscious Ryo Akiyama, who had somehow became the way he was when she threw herself at him to get him out of harm's way. Why was he that way, she had no idea. But that did not stop her from doing the one thing she had always wanted to do for a very very long time.

She kicked him... hard.

...

No response.

"Ugh!" She turned to Henry. "Now is the perfect time to curse, Henry!! Akiyama is out and we are fighting a losing battle!-"

It was true in every sense. Growlmon and Gargomon were getting pummelled, while Kyuubimon was tiring from the amount of dodging she had to do. DRAGOON was doing all he could to help, but it was not much either. He could not use the Yuggoth Blaster too much, and the few times he did was countered by a Crimson Blaze. The attack was deleted of course, but before DRAGOON's blast could reach Zhuqiaomon, it was already out of power.

"Crimson Blaze!!" Fire shot from Zhuqiaomon's mouth, and Kyuubimon barely avoided the attack. Zhuqiaomon seemed to be taking pleasure in it.

"-See what I mean?!" As if her usage of his actual name weren't enough, she had a desperate tone in her voice. Her sounding desperate would be motivation enough.

Henry frowned, worry clouding his expression. "There's nothing we can do! If just we could find a way to Biomerge again!"

"Ugh!!" Rika exclaimed in frustration.

"Rika, please calm down..." Takato asked calmly, the strained effort to do so glaringly obvious.

The said girl wished she could, but that was practically impossible right now. Akiyama, the most experienced and powerful Tamer at the moment, was out for the count. Cyberdramon was, for some reason, out as well. He had simply fallen like a ragged doll when Ryo lost consciousness... not that he was much help earlier anyway...

Immediately, Rika cursed herself. She should not think of her friends that way. Cyberdramon may not be the friendliest, but he was still her friend, as were everyone else. _But how are we supposed to get out of this mess?_

Rika glanced up just as Gargomon tried to send a Power Pummel attack at Zhuqiaomon, standing on DRAGOON in a good liking of Dukemon on Grani while DRAGOON attacked with Yuggoth Blaster.

Both attempts, even combined, failed miserably.

Growlmon charged his attack next. Rika sighed. It was obviously going to turn out to be the same.

* * *

"Pyro Blaster!!"

"Crimson Blaze!!"

Takato watched as fire met fire in a powerful display of force... then, the Sovereign's attack overwhelmed Growlmon's and the fire storm came his way. Growlmon had nothing to block against it other than to raise his arms defensively. The fire surged over him, scorching him despite his thick skin. Growlmon fell to his hands and knees, severely weakened by the attack.

"GROWLMON!!" Takato cried out. Pumped full of adrenaline, he was instilled with a sense of fearlessness. At that moment, fear and worry for Growlmon outshined everything else, causing Takato to abandon his projection of calm and run to Growlmon's side, even against the latter's protests. He only needed calm to think. And thinking was something he was incapable of when Growlmon was very much in danger of being deleted.

"NO!! Takato!!"

Zhuqiaomon snorted in amusement at the display... before unleashing his next attack directly at them. "Blazing Helix!!"

Hurriedly, DRAGOON interfered. "Yuggoth... Blaster!!"

The Yuggoth Blaster attack managed to stop the single blast that would have killed himself and Growlmon instantly, but it did not stop the rest of the attack from reaching the area around him.

"Takato!!" Multiple voices shouted before flame blocked Takato's view of their owners. Fire surrounded him and Growlmon, circling around them and isolating them from the others. DRAGOON was nowhere in sight. Takato didn't know if the former was deleted, and did not want to think about it. Panic filled him rapidly. Growlmon placed a paw over him to cover him from the fire's raging heat. Outside the circle of flame, Takato heard his friends protest.

"Zhuqiaomon! You are a no good, backstabbing, law breaking Sovereign for a Sovereign!!" Gargomon said.

"Yeah!" Henry agreed. "How could you?!"

Takato could see Zhuqiaomon up above from Growlmon's protective arms laugh at them. "HA! What can I not resort to?! Have you forgotten that my goal is to delete you?!"

There was silence. Takato knew why. The guys who were trying to delete you weren't usually so direct in their approach in the shows... but then again, this was real life, not the shows.

Takato grind his teeth. _If just we can Biomerge, we will be able to at least stand a chance..._

Zhuqiaomon chose to turn to them again. "Time to end this... permanently," the Sovereign said, opening his mouth as he charged a Crimson Blaze attack. There was nothing he or any of the others could do with out a guarantee of deletion. Nothing. They stood no chance. Takato looked around frantically, but all he could see was fire.

_Will it end like this? Us in a corner? Unable to fight back? Zhuqiaomon wouldn't miss. We're like sitting ducks in the centre of a fire bullseye_.

Rika and Henry screamed his and Growlmon's names, but Takato barely heard them. He wanted to say goodbye, he wanted to see his mother again, he wanted to apologise to his parents for letting them down, he wanted to apologise to Jeri that she had to suffer the grief of the deaths of more of her friends. There was so much he wanted to do, but couldn't. There was no hope. Nothing was left. _Nothing._

"Crimson Blaze!!"

"Pyro Blaster!!" Growlmon still had fight in him, still wanted to try. Takato admired his parter for that. Trust Guilmon to still persevere when everything was obviously going to be deleted.

Zhuqiaomon's fire easily overwhelmed Growlmon's, like the first time Growlmon fought fire with fire with devastating results. The Crimson Blaze attack was coming... Takato held Growlmon's leg tight. _Goodbye everyone..._

* * *

He hated it when a bad guy smiled. It always said that the bad guy knew more than he did. Ryo did not know which was more infuriating, the smile, the fact that Millenniummon probably knew more than he did, or the fact that he was even seeing Millenniummon right now.

"Ryo..." Millenniummon's voice echoed, making it sound eerie. _As if he weren't eerie enough..._

"Millenniummon..." Ryo growled in return, his eyes narrowing. "... how is it possible that you are here?"

Millenniummon at that moment seemed to change from an invincible, indestructible monster to a child who had just been told he could not have his favourite toy. Ryo didn't buy it for one second.

"Why? Do you still hate me... after all this time?"

"What do you think?! That I was just going to forget everything that you have done?! Everything that you made everyone go through?! Everything you made _me_ go through?! You're asking forgiveness from the wrong person, Millenniummon," Ryo said the last word with every ounce of hate he could master. "How do you expect me to forgive you, Millenniummon?! Tell me that!!"

Millenniummon's Kabuterimon-like head looked down, giving Ryo a feeling of power over the synthetic god Digimon. The feeling passed, followed by one of extreme surprise, when Monodramon materialised from the darkness.

Not just any Monodramon. The Monodramon he knew before the jogress ever took place. The original Monodramon. Ryo felt his eyes water. The way Monodramon stood, the way he shifted uncomfortably, nervously, always leaning on one leg... _It is definitely Monodramon... without a doubt._

"Monodramon..." A familiar grin flashed on Monodramon's face, one that made Ryo feel nauseous. He felt bile in his throat and swallowed it. "How can it be you?"

It was Monodramon's turn to look disappointed, and this time, he felt a pang in his heart. There was so much he wanted to say, and he had to say the one thing that made Monodramon sad. Ryo mentally kicked himself. "It is me, Ryo..."

"That's great! You're back! After all this time! I missed you so much!!" Ryo exclaimed in happiness.

"I was here all along, Ryo. You just never noticed me. Both of us were here the whole time. You just ignored us."

"Monodramon... what are you saying?"

The said Digimon gave him a look that froze his insides. Monodramon was giving him the same cold stare that he gave enemies just when he was about to finish them off. "You know exactly what I am saying, Ryo. You don't trust me..."

"I-I don't understand."

"You know," was Monodramon's reply

"What do you mean? Monodramon, tell me!!" Ryo said in desperation.

Monodramon turned away from him, and began walking to Millenniummon. Ryo's eyes widened in shock. It completely went against what he knew of Monodramon. Monodramon's initial reaction would either be to run or to take a battle stance, not walk calmly toward their sworn enemy. All Ryo could do was watch, as everything he knew was flipped upside down.

* * *

...

Takato wondered what it would be like to be deleted. He remembered Leomon. Strangely, he felt at peace even though the thought of Leomon's death daunted him somewhat. To die peacefully... seemed like a nice idea...

"STUPID GOGGLEHEAD!! USE A DEFENSE PLUG-IN!!" Rika's voice cut through him like knife through paper.

His mind still drifted, wondering why Rika was disturbing his peace. But his body reacted to the words, grabbing a single card and swiping it through his D-Power. A hemisphere appeared around him and Growlmon, blocking the Sovereign's attack.

Takato snapped out of the state he was in, his mind going on full overdrive. It was like he had forgotten everything and was now remembering it bit by bit. He took everything that was happening back in again, and was finally thinking straight. _What was I thinking, giving up like that?! _

"Takato, we must Biomerge..." Guilmon said weakly. _Guilmon? But I thought..._ Then he remembered. The Sovereign was relentless. With the extra power the shield needed to withstand that attack, he was surprised Guilmon wasn't his In-Training form.

"But we can't... Henry said-" He never got a chance to say what Henry had said.

"But why can't we try?!"

That was a very good question. Why couldn't they try? The shield wouldn't hold for much longer. He could already see the strain that the effort had on Guilmon. The latter was unable to stay on his feet, tripping sometimes while walking toward him. Plus, there was nothing left to lose.

Takato glanced outside the shield, where the fires raged and his friends called his name. Especially Rika. Takato heard her the clearest... mainly due to the fact that she was screaming insults at him, but that was her way to show worry. Her pride allowed her no other. He wanted to go out there. He _needed_ to go out there and assure his friends that he was fine. He could not die today. He _will_ not die today. Not if he still had something to say about it.

He turned to Guilmon, who offered him a goofy grin in return. Takato returned his gaze to the source of the fires, reassured.

_What was it that allowed us to Biomerge anyway?_ Takato asked himself. It was true that he was not a deep thinker, but at these times... he was not really himself. It were as though everyone were part of him, Henry, Rika, Ryo, Terriermon, Renamon, Cyberdramon... and most of all, Guilmon. It felt as though he were god himself.

_Was it Calumon? I don't think so... I think... that it is our bond with our partners..._ His past experiences with Guilmon flashed in his mind's eye, along with those of them being Dukemon together. _I don't know why Henry and Rika couldn't... but I know... that _we_ can. That is for sure._

"Guilmon!"

"Takato... I'm ready!" Guilmon answered, the eagerness in his voice overcoming the pain present.

Takato gave his partner a smile. "That's my boy." He turned back to the place where Zhuqiaomon was behind the shield. The protective hemisphere began to fade, and the fire began to slip in. But Takato wasn't faltered by that fact. He raised his D-Power, and shouted two words.

"BIOMERGE ACTIVATE!!"

Fire consumed the place he stood.

* * *

**Ah... I love myself. **

**I am very proud of this chapter to be honest. Though I must also admit that exploring Ryo's mind like that was something I have never attempted before... nor thought of before. I never actually believed the day would come when I would write a scene like that.**

**And yes people who read B.C.'s works, I lifted the 'The Trick to (Something)' part from his Book Six.**

**Now, thanks to Winter-Skye-Phoenix and Matt Lans for reviewing. What do you think of Ryo's scene Winter? Take note that it is all in his head... And Lans... I myself honestly don't know what that 'something' is. XD Review again what you think of this chapter you guys!**

**Well, time to wrap this up. Read and review people! **


	24. Turning the Tables

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Digimon, but I do own the plot, and DRAGOON.

* * *

_**Digimon Continuity**_

**Quest for the Digimon  
**

Chapter 24

_Turning the Tables  
_

* * *

_**:.**_** Real World - Japan, Tokyo, Tokyo Metropolitan Towers  
Main Control Room**

**05:07 PM JST**

Yamaki clicked his lighter close, deep in thought. He held the D-Power of Impmon's partners in his hand, inspecting it with a curiosity that had not plagued him in a very long time. Riley was still trying to hack into the profile of Taichi Kamiya, which might provide vital information on the latter which will perhaps help the Tamers.

Yamaki considered consulting the Chief Cabinet Secretary on this. But he immediately rejected the idea. If the classification level of this guy was so high that only heads of states could gain access to it, the Chief Cabinet Secretary would be likely to know of the guy, but Yamaki doubted that he would take the mention of this guy very well. Sighing, he set down the D-Power and the lighter, taking up the papers that he had Riley print out of both 'producers' and the cast. Yamaki allowed himself another glance at the D-Power, before re-reading the printed profiles yet again.

Taichi Kamiya was the first and only son of Susumu and Yuuko Kamiya. He also had a sister, Hikari Kamiya, who coincidentally was also one of the 'cast' of the show who had disappeared ten months ago and reappeared as well. According to gathered sources, the Digimon show initially started out as a personal project by a bunch of kids, much like how the Monster Makers came about. There were members of the group that were very notable, mainly Yamato Ishida and Ken Ichijouji, who was a famous rock star a few years back and another genius respectively. Coincidentally, their known girlfriends, Sora Takenouchi and Miyako Inoue; Yamato Ishida's younger brother, Takeru Takaishi, who took his mother's name when their parents divorced; and the forementioned Hikari Kamiya were also part of the group.

Yamaki frowned. He read their profiles, which were thankfully not placed under 'Classified'. There were many coincidences that could be noted. Half of them had taken part in a particular summer camp, which was cancelled due to the strange weather phenomenon that had suddenly occurred. Ironically, they all shared the same cabin. Another coincidence was that all of them from this cabin had all lived in the same area during a supposed terrorist attack, though he wasn't sure whether they were friends at that time.

The blonde took a look at another printout, which was a newspaper cutting. It was about how no one had admitted to the attack, no threats given for further attacks if conditions weren't met. Government officials could make nothing out of it. However, anonymous sources said that it wasn't a terrorist attack. It was a battle of monsters. Giant monsters that resembled a bird and a dinosaur. A team was set up to investigate. The investigation was cancelled when resources poured in were going down the drain.

Yamaki shook his head, considering to ask Riley to go through it later. He moved on to the history of the members of the cast and the show.

According to what the group released, Taichi Kamiya had come up with the idea of Digimon, and decided to create characters out of himself and his friends. Of course, he changed their names, but kept most the personalities of his friends and even asking his friends to make the show with him. Koushiro Izumi agreed and made the graphics for the show. They enlisted the help of other friends to do other jobs, but soon got people outside their circle to help out.

The project blossomed, liked by many children during its broadcast, which Yamaki believed was the favour of Yamato Ishida's father, Hiroaki Ishida. He was the person in charge of a Fuji TV station at that time, which probably was in favour of the group. What had initially been a small project became fully blown, from a mere 13 episodes to a 54 episode show. The group had been smart, making use of the unexplained phenomenon of the summer of 1999 to their advantage. The show went global, being dubbed into the country's respective languages. By then, the infamous Digimon Card Game had been released.

The sequel was then released, with Taichi Kamiya claiming to use the cast as inspiration. The show was well-received. More and more things about Digimon came and only one stuck: the card game. The game was so famous that despite Digimon dying from its seat of fame, tournaments were still held annually. Then, came the disappearance of one-who-started-it-all.

The strange thing was, no _proper_ investigation was held. The case was closed only a few days after it was reported. _Not usual at all for a missing person's case. _Yamaki noted. He was no expert on the things that went on in a police station, but he knew the basics. Cases didn't just close a few days later with the guy still missing. He suspected someone in the higher ups had a hand in this.

Of course, then came the disappearance of the entire cast altogether. Tournaments were still held, and the world continued to spin. But the investigation was definitely more in depth this time. It was properly carried out, but with no results. It were as though they were wiped from the face of the Earth.

Yamaki, however, held an answer that could be the reason as to why they had disappeared. Two actually. The first was that it probably had something to do with Taichi Kamiya's government profile being classified.

The other was of course:

The Digital World.

* * *

**_:_. Digital Plane - Sovereign Plane  
Somewhere in Ryo's head/mind/consciousness/somewhere  
**

**05:10 PM JST**

"I-I don't understand," Ryo repeated when he regained his voice. "What are you doing, Monodramon?"

Monodramon stopped when he reached Millenniummon's side, turning to face him. By then, he was already beyond surprise, shock and horror. He just noted that Millenniummon didn't move, didn't attack Monodramon, only sent the latter a sad smile. "Ryo, you _do_ understand. You know this. You are just denying it."

"Denying?" Ryo shook his head. "I really don't know what you're talking about Monodramon."

"No, Ryo," his partner said. "You are smarter than this. You just don't want to think about it."

"There is nothing to think about, Monodramon! There is nothing left!!"

"That's what you think, Ryo. It is because you think that there _is_ nothing left. Ever since you remembered your past, ever since that final battle, that's all you've thought."

"No! That's not true! I've thought a lot, Monodramon! I've-"

"Ryo," Monodramon said softly. "Stop. You did think a lot. But not about the right thing. The problem is, you don't _want_ to think about it."

"What?! What am I not thinking about?!! What is it that I don't want to think about?!!!"

"The jogress," Monodramon said simply. Immediately, Ryo stiffened.

Millenniummon continued for Monodramon. "Ryo, you don't see us as one being after the jogress. In a way, we are not one being. But we are. Yet when you look at Cyberdramon, at our current form, you don't see him as a single being, but as me and Monodramon."

That was true, too true. Ryo did not want to accept that his sworn enemy was now part of his partner.

Then Monodramon and Millenniummon began to morph. They began to fuse, just like how they did when they jogressed together. Ryo was rooted, watching the event through both his eyes and his memories. He couldn't remember all the details, but he knew that he was crying when the jogress began and was still doing so when it ended. Now, he did not cry. He was confused. He did not understand, or like Monodramon said, did not _want_ to understand what was going on.

When they had fused, they did not become an egg. Instead, it split into three beings: Monodramon, Strikedramon and Cyberdramon.

Ryo blinked.

"Hi, Ryo!" Monodramon exclaimed, leaping into the air in his enthusiasm.

"Hello, Ryo," Strikedramon said calmly.

Cyberdramon simply growled his name.

Ryo remained silent, frowning.

Strikedramon glanced at the other two beside him, before stepping forward. "Ryo, I know that you would trust me - us - with your life," the humanoid dragon began. "Many believe that that is the highest amount of trust that could be given to anyone. But not you, Ryo. You think differently. To you, that is nothing. To you, the highest trust you can give is to be able to turn your back on someone and not expect to be stabbed in the back. To you, to let your guard down is the highest trust you can give.

"We're asking for that trust, Ryo. We're asking you to let your guard down. To let us in. To give yourself fully to us. To trust us with yourself. Your heart. Trust that we will not turn against you. Trust us."

Strikedramon morphed, causing Ryo to take a step back. He shaped into Millenniummon, and he continued. "Trust me, Ryo. Trust that I have changed. Trust that I am not your enemy. Trust that I am on your side now. Trust me enough... to forgive me. I am your partner as well right now. Please."

Millenniummon let it hang in the air, let Ryo think.

Ryo closed his eyes. Strikedramon was asking for the impossible. Millenniummon was asking for the impossible.

Ryo couldn't let his guard down because he was always being betrayed. He had no one to truly call his friend. Not even Takato. Not even Henry. Not even Rika. One day, they would turn on him, just like Taichi and Agumon did. Although he wished the best for them, although he wanted very much to be more involved, more their friend, he couldn't. He always had to have everyone an arm's length away. Even his partner. For in the end, his partner was also his enemy. His partner may also betray him, just like Veemon did when he partnered himself to Daisuke.

Ryo couldn't forgive Millenniummon because he had done too many wrongs. Too many. He had destroyed whole worlds, brought down civilisations. He had forced his friends against him. To cheat him. He was the cause of all his troubles. He was the reason why Ryo was who he was today. Why he was in a world, a reality that was not his to call home. Why he had friends that weren't truly friends.

How could he do any of those things?

_That's it... _Ryo realised with a gasp. _That is my problem. I don't trust anyone. I keep to myself. I don't even trust my partner!_ Ryo suddenly found his feet extremely interesting.

"Yes, Ryo. You've finally figured it out," Monodramon's voice said proudly, as though he had attained the answer to the most difficult question that ever existed.

Ryo looked up to see two Monodramons, one on each side; their Digivolutions of Strikedramon and Cyberdramon; and of course Millenniummon.

"Hurray!! Ryo did it!" The other Monodramon exclaimed.

Ryo looked at each of their faces in turn, only to see a smile on each face. He smiled back.

Maybe... _Maybe I should change. Maybe I should learn to trust again. Maybe I will be stabbed yet again on the back, but... why should I torment myself with that now? Why can't I enjoy it, however temporary it might be? Maybe that trust will be broken, but at least I can say that I trusted. And maybe I should give Millenniummon another chance. He may not deserve it, but I can always wait and see..._

Upon that conclusion, Ryo opened his eyes to find his vision white. The world suddenly seemed that much brighter.

* * *

**_:_. Digital Plane - Sovereign Plane  
****Ruins of ****Zhuqiaomon's Palace  
**

**05:14 PM JST**

BIOMERGE  
DIGIVOLUTION

"Biomerge Activate!!" Takato yelled with all his might, as light shone from the Digivice in his hand. It engulfed him and Guilmon, with an intensity that he had not experienced in a long time. Takato closed his eyes to feel it even more powerfully.

"Guilmon! Biomerge!!..."

Takato felt the flames of Zhuqiaomon's attack consume him, but never touching him. It were as though there were an invisible shield around him. Takato felt a funny tingle travel through his body, and then a sudden sensation that shook him to the core. The suddenness caused him to cry out, but it was not in pain, but in joy. He had never thought that he would feel it again, the sensation of fusing with Guilmon. Guilmon's data merged with him, and he felt strength flow through him. Chrome Digizoid metal covered him, making him a literal knight in armour. The helmet of Dukemon closed on him and familiar weapons materialised in his hands.

Takato felt like laughing. He probably was. It had worked. And all he needed was faith in Guilmon and himself. Courage flowed through him like water, courage that materialised inside him only when he was the holy knight Digimon.

He and his partner were one again. He was _Dukemon_. He could do _anything _and _everything_.

Defeating a Sovereign was easy.

Takato pumped Dukemon's legs and jumped into the air, out of his Digivolution sphere, out of the flames, and into the open.

Dukemon landed on the ground, a safe distance away from the ring of fire and Zhuqiaomon. Another being landed beside him and Dukemon turned to find himself facing a surprising face.

The face of Justimon.

_"What do you know, Guilmon? Looks like Ryo managed to do it too,"_ Takato commented.

_"I sure did," _Ryo's voice came in reply, though Justimon remained silent.

Dukemon nodded to Justimon, who returned the nod. Then they both turned to face the Sovereign.

"Zhuqiaomon!" Dukemon called out in a voice that was the fusion of Takato and Guilmon's most mature voices that had blended perfectly together, making sound completely different from their individual voices. This caused the voice to attain a tone that neither he nor Guilmon could ever attain by themselves. "We want to ask you one more time, can you please tell us where we can find our friends?"

The said Sovereign snorted. "Find yourselves another Sovereign to ask!" The phoenix raged. "I have nothing to tell! Now leave me!!"

"Then at least tell us where Azulongmon is!" Justimon said with the roughness of Cyberdramon's voice and Ryo's confident one fused together, making him sound as hoarse as a commander who had shouted too much.

"You already have your answer. I have nothing left to say! Nothing but this, Crimson Blaze!!!" Zhuqiaomon opened his beck to release a stream of flame at the two Megas.

But Dukemon was prepared, jumping aside at the last instant while simultaneously brandishing his Gram lance in preparation for his counter attack. Meanwhile, on the other side of the stream of fire, Justimon was doing the same thing.

"Royal Saber!!" Dukemon levelled his Gram lance at Zhuqiaomon and let loose a spear of energy at the phoenix.

"Blitz Arm!!" Justimon did the same, levelling his mechanical arm at Zhuqiaomon and releasing missiles of energy.

Zhuqiaomon let out a cry of anger as he ascended to avoid the attacks. However, he met with DRAGOON above him, diving toward him at an incredible speed, unleashing beams of light at Zhuqiaomon and charging his main attack at the same time.

"Yuggoth Blaster!!"

The deleting beam shot toward the giant Sovereign, but the latter leaned back with speed that belittled his size and allowed the laser to shoot pass in front of him, missing completely. DRAGOON was going too fast to pull up in time when Zhuqiaomon swung his claws at the Zero Arms and effectively knocked him aside like a fly. The Sovereign then unleashed another attack.

"Blazing Helix!!"

Four spheres of flaming infernos appeared at the tips of each of his wings. However, instead of fusing together to form on powerful attack, Zhuqiaomon spread his wings and sent the spheres hurling in four different directions. One toward himself, Dukemon; another toward Justimon; a third toward the downed DRAGOON; and the last toward Gargomon and Kyuubimon.

Dukemon reacted by instinct, rushing toward the nearest of the victims, Gargomon and Kyuubimon. Justimon did the same, not caring for his own fate and rushing to protect the downed DRAGOON. The moment the Megas reached their destinations, all four snakes of flame changed course and headed toward the place where Impmon, Lopmon and Calumon were...

...And in turn, where the defenceless and dumbstruck Henry and Rika stood.

Takato screamed their names.


	25. The Other World

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Digimon, but I do own the plot, and DRAGOON.

* * *

**Digimon Continuity**

**_Quest for the Digimon_  
**

Chapter 25

_The Other World  
_

**_

* * *

_**

**_:_. Digital Plane - Sovereign Plane  
****Ruins of ****Zhuqiaomon's Palace  
**

**05:27 PM JST**

Takato screamed.

Thoughts and emotions flooded him like hell-fire, burning him yet giving him strength. His scream morphed into a battle cry as he charged the Aegis. Takato willed each triangle on his shield to charge faster, willed that he wouldn't be too late. The shield glowed a blinding white and red. He himself might not be able to make it to save his friends, but he hoped that his attack would buy them enough time.

"FINAL... ELYSIUM!!!"

A single beam of energy exploded from his shield, causing him to recoil. The powerful blast flew in an arc, intercepting the quadruple fire helix. The white beam and the red fires collided, and for a split second, the two attacks fought for domination. A split second later, the attacks exploded with all the built up pressure that had been accumulated in that split second. Dukemon blinked his golden orbs, trying to see through the smoke that had ensued to see if his attempt had been successful.

The smoke cleared to show Henry and Rika prone on the ground, hands on the back of their heads. Other than unsightly cuts that had been the result of the close call, they were fine. In his sphere within Dukemon, Takato let out a breath that he did not realise he was holding, sighing in relief and unconsciously letting down his guard. It was a mistake that cost him, as Zhuqiaomon followed his Blazing Helix attack with a Crimson Blaze. The flames shot from the Sovereign's move and impacted neatly on Dukemon's back.

Dukemon screamed in pain. The flames burned through his cape and superheated his armour. While the attack did not do much damage, it was going to make Dukemon uncomfortable enough to not be able to fight properly and give Takato an awfully bad burn to boot once this was over.

"Dukemon!" Justimon landed by the said Digimon's side.

"It's nothing," Dukemon replied. "I can still fight."

Zhuqiaomon had overheard the brief exchange and let out a bark of mocking laughter... which echoed so much Takato was reminded that he was not fighting a normal Mega but a Sovereign. "Maybe for now... but we shall see about that."

"Anyone tell you that you talk too much?" Gargomon said, which was something awfully brave to do.

"Gargomon!" Henry moaned, getting to his feet. "This is not the time!"

Kyuubimon nodded beside the Champion bunny. "I agree with Henry. Maybe you should reserve your jokes till _after_ we defeat him?"

Zhuqiaomon snorted at Kyuubimon's words. "You can't defeat me. You may outnumber me and I may be weakened, but I am still a Sovereign. And I am not going to fall to a bunch of witless humans like you!"

"And this is the turkey speaking..."

"Gargomon!"

"Enough," Dukemon commanded. "Zhuqiaomon, we will make you pay for attacking our defenceless friends."

"Seriously, Gogglehead. Who are you calling defenceless?" Rika glared at the holy knight. "I think you are letting the whole 'knight in shining armour' thing get to your head."

_"Are you Takato?" _Guilmon mentally asked, even though it was a rather bad time.

_"I... think so..." _He had to admit it. Being Dukemon made him... well, braver and more gallant in a way. It was like he was immune to doubts as the armour he wore seemed to insulate him from them. But being Dukemon had its drawbacks... like somehow irritating Rika more easily than usual. If she were Sakuyamon however, it seemed that Renamon's patience kept her irritation level from going anywhere near high.

Strange how Biomerging could affect one's mind like that.

"Then here's your change. Crimson Blaze!!"

Dukemon held his ground, using the Aegis to hold off the Sovereign's attack while charging his lance. He peeped out from the side of his shield, and unleashed his counter attack. "Royal Saber!"

Justimon seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, as he always did during the D-Reaper crisis. "Blitz Arm!" Blue bursts shot from Justimon's metallic fist and raced toward the phoenix.

"Weak attacks like that are useless against me!" With that announcement, the red aura around Zhuqiaomon seemed to flare, radiating heat. It expanded to glow even brighter around the silhouette of the Sovereign, and their attacks mashed into the red aura, not even coming close to hitting the actual body of Zhuqiaomon.

"Hey! That's cheating!!" Gargomon called.

"Gargomon, I think you might want to reconsider attracting Zhuqiaomon's attention," Kyuubimon said calmly, though there was a slight edge of worry to her words.

"I couldn't agree more," Henry muttered, preparing his cards in case Zhuqiaomon truly chose to permanently shut Gargomon's mouth.

"Henry..." Dukemon said, giving the blue-haired boy a look that said that he was stuck and didn't know how to proceed. "Any ideas on how to overcome Zhuqiaomon's anti-attack barrier?"

The said boy lowered his head and began to think, before shaking his head. "No, Dukemon. I don't know how... though I wish I was SaintGargomon right now."

"Then we can just blast that barrier away with a good old fashioned Power Pummel!!"

This time, Henry didn't retort, deeply engrossed in his own thoughts, trying to find a way to defeat the Sovereign.

"Guys," Justimon said from across the chamber, though he never took his eyes off the Sovereign. "You might want to go back into DRAGOON."

"And may I ask why Akiyama?" Rika inquired casually, just as Zhuqiaomon unleashed yet another Crimson Blaze at Dukemon. Takato grimaced under the visor. He had been so distracted following the conversation that he forgot that he was in the middle of battle. Even with his armour, Dukemon could not hold out against the Sovereign's powerful attacks forever. _But I think that Zhuqiaomon would have probably fried us alive inside this metal tin already by then._

"You may," Justimon's united voice replied with fake courtesy. "That is because that way, you guys would present less targets for Zhuqiaomon to aim at, allowing me and Dukemon to be able to protect you guys more effectively," he said as he casually tilted his head to one side to avoid Zhuqiaomon's Crimson Blaze, his tone light and calm all the while. It were as though he were truly just chatting with Rika in a normal environment, not fighting for his life. And before Rika could say anything about it, Justimon continued. "Furthermore, that way, you will have a few inches of Chrome Digizoid protecting you from Zhuqiaomon's attack if need be. That will be a lot better than the _nothing_ that you guys have on, right?"

Rika opened her mouth to protest, but thought better of it. She turned to Henry, who was still deep in thought, and dragged him along toward where DRAGOON was waiting. Dukemon decided to cover them while they made the dash to relative safety, though technically anywhere in the battleground could hardly be considered safe, it was the best they could do for now.

Dukemon turned to the Sovereign, charging his Gram lance and waiting for Zhuqiaomon's next move. That would at least allow his attack to counter Zhuqiaomon's and not be wasted on the impenetrable aura that surrounded him.

As expected, Zhuqiaomon unleashed another attack to deter the Tamers' attempt... unfortunately, Zhuqiaomon chose to use an attack that was extremely hard to counter. "Blazing Helix!!" Four points lit up at the tips of the Sovereign's wings and rushed forward, leaving trailing fires in their wake and making them look like hungry dragons out for a kill.

_"Uh oh, boy... we have trouble..." _Takato mentally told Guilmon.

Guilmon didn't reply, instead focusing on concentrating on directing the lance toward one of the four snakes of flame soaring toward his friends. Takato followed Guilmon's initiative as well.

Dukemon rushed forward, protecting their flank with his shield, which was conveniently positioned on the correct side. Had it been on the wrong side... Takato shuttered to think how it would make things even more difficult. By now, his long strides had caught up with Henry and Rika, both of whom were currently attempting to jump onto Kyuubimon in mid-run to make better time. Dukemon positioned himself in between Kyuubimon and the incoming attack, then took aim at one of the deadly dragon-like snakes that were eager to devour all of them in their fiery mouths.

"Royal Saber!!" A bolt of blue energy that took the shape of his lance raced toward one of the flaming snakes and immediately impacted with a ear-splitting explosion. Justimon was yelling something at him, but Dukemon couldn't hear anything due to the aftershock of the explosion, one that had detonated too close for comfort. Another bad thing to add to the growing list was that there were still three of the flames soaring toward them.

The good thing was that Takato could hear Ryo's voice perfectly in his sphere within the heart of Dukemon. "DUKEMON! We have to rush ourselves into the attack! It is the only way to prevent it from hitting Henry and Rika!!"

"What about us?! I don't even think that Dukemon's armour can save _us_!!"

Justimon gave no indication that he had heard. It might be due to the fact that his ears were still ringing from the explosion like Dukemon's were. Instead, Justimon had already propelled himself with his powerful legs toward one of the deadly snakes. So, instead of following his common sense, he jumped after the cyborg warrior. When he looked back on this moment, he would realise that this was probably one of the stupidest things he had ever done... among all the stupid things he had ever done. But hey, he was the gogglehead Takato. Stupid things were his speciality...

And apparently, so were things that caused miracles.

That was because the moment Dukemon's feet left the ground, Takato remembered something. If Dukemon and Justimon were rushing the attack, they would only take down with them two of the three that were headed toward their friends. That left one out. Were even one of them hit his friends, there was no question that they would instantly be scrap data.

This caused him to do one of his amazing split second things. Takato processed all of this with an ability that was not his own. When it came down to it, his mind was surprisingly clear, devoid of all kinds of self-doubt whether or not he could do it. He just _had_ to do it. There was no question about it. It was do it or lose everything. There was no room for doubt. No room for mistakes.

Takato had, for the first time in a long time, complete faith in himself and Guilmon. It were as though the time that had separated them had never occurred. Their bond was as strong as ever.

Dukemon charged his shield and lance at the same time, while Justimon prepared his Critical Arm. The first flaming vortex hit the blade of the Critical Arm, sending sparks flying up. Dukemon positioned himself in the path of the two remaining ones. _I'm going to regret this... _Takato thought before releasing both attacks at them. At the same instant the attacks made contact with each other, the one that Justimon was holding at bay exploded as well.

He had saved his friends from demise... but he wasn't so sure about Justimon and himself.

Dukemon's vision went white and his scream was consumed by the sound of the explosion as both he and Justimon were sent flying like rag dolls toward opposite corners of the chamber.

* * *

**_:._ Real World - Japan, Tokyo, Tokyo Metropolitan Towers  
Main Control Room**

**05:27 PM JST**

Yamaki continued to frown his brow as he considered possibilities and facts that he had not known of before. Initially, he had thought the Digimon show to be just something that was produced from the product of original creators, the Monster Makers. Thus, he had skipped it and went straight to find the said group, not knowing what he had missed out on. Had he not accidentally stumbled on the possibility that the show could be revealing more about Digimon than initially thought, Yamaki wondered what might have happened. Perhaps it was all just a wild goose chase and it was just a coincidence. But how could one explain the classified profile of the producer?

_Plus, I don't believe in coincidences._

And speaking of the Monster Makers, one of them was headed toward him now. "Yamaki," the man greeted.

"Mr. Mizuno," he greeted back. "Something up?"

"Well, yes," Gorou Mizuno AKA Shibumi said. "I was thinking about what we had discovered earlier... about there being another Digital World."

_That_ caught his attention. "You mean the Digital World displayed through the Digimon shows, right?"

The man nodded in reply. "Yes, I was."

Yamaki allowed himself a rare smile. "Well, what a coincidence, I was thinking about it too... more or less."

Shibumi chuckled. "Well, perhaps great minds truly do think alike."

Yamaki accepted the compliment with a nod, gesturing for Shibumi to take a seat. "Maybe. But what was it you wanted to talk about?"

"Well, I have been giving it some thought, along with the other Monster Makers when they are taking breaks not working on improvements for DRAGOON... and we have agreed on one fact. This brings about a whole new factor that changes everything we think we know."

"You lost me after 'fact'," Yamaki said in a matter-of-fact tone, even though the edge of panic was about to enter Yamaki's voice. The simple thought of there being another world parallel to theirs with a whole load of Digimon was not something that one could absorb easily. He felt dizzy, barely able to think straight. "What kind of factor?"

"...That is the thing," Shibumi said in disappointment. "There are too many to consider. It is impossible to start anywhere. It is too complex."

"I would never have thought I would hear you say that Mr. Mizuno... ever," Yamaki noted.

Shibumi gave him a sad smile. "It's really like starting from square one all over again, Yamaki. It is like knowing that you have accomplished and attained something great after ages of hard work, and then realising that you would have repeat that all over again. It is rather daunting." At Yamaki's frown, Shibumi quickly continued. "Don't get me wrong, it's not that I'm giving up. I was just trying to say that it might help for us to gain some foundation on this new Digital World... like from those who had seen it personally for example. Because, otherwise, it would be like playing a game without knowing the rules."

"You really believe that the Chosen Children exist?" Yamaki asked almost disbelievingly.

"That is one possibility," Shibumi admitted. "After all, all that the show has displayed has proven to be correct. In fact, all of the Digimon content seems to fit snugly into what we know... a little too snugly... things about attributes, levels, known Digimon, gods, etcetera. It has to be true. I can't imagine a coincidence this big."

"I don't believe in coincidences either," Yamaki told the man with a slight smile.

"Hmm..." Shibumi pondered. "Well, but I suppose the Chosen Children would be hard to find, if they have slipped beneath the radars of Hypnos for so long already."

"True, but I have something that might be just as good." Yamaki proceeded to update Shibumi on what he had learned of the producers of the Digimon merchandise.

"This really is interesting. Doesn't that mean that anybody who's anybody would already know of the existence of Digimon?"

"Why would you think that?"

Surprise showed on Shibumi's features. "I thought it was obvious. Given the fact that the level of secrecy that this Taichi Kamiya's profile has... In fact, I think I'm starting to realise why you have not heard reports of the Chosen Children." Shibumi pointed to the piece of paper that held Taichi Kamiya's profile, the one with the big 'Classified' stamped on it. "That might be why."

Yamaki remained bewildered for a few more moments before catching on on what Shibumi was trying to say. Mentally, he cursed himself for being so dense.

* * *

**_:._ Real World - Japan, Shinjuku  
Matsuki Bakery**

**05:30 PM JST**

It had been exactly two hours since Mei Matsuki and her husband had returned from the Tokyo Metropolitan Towers, aka Hypnos. During that time, Mei had tried to occupy herself with orders from customers, which made her as busy as ever. The famous Guilmon Bread had still retained its reputation. She had managed to lose herself in the rather mindless task of serving her customers, before Takehiro had closed the shop early, despite her protests.

"Come on, Mei. Stop arguing," her husband said with considerable amount of conviction and authority, something that was rare as he usually was the one being told what to do. "You know as well as I do you are only pushing yourself to stop yourself from worrying about Takato." Of course, neither of them knew at this moment, the said boy was busy fighting for his life.

Mei took a deep breath. "Alright," she finally relented. "You win, let me clean up."

"Oh no," Takehiro said. "You are not doing anything. Just take a seat, Mei. Let me do everything." Her husband proceeded to give her an intense stare until she finally sighed and took a seat at the table, resting her protesting back at long last. Unfortunately, now that she had nothing to distract her, her mind moved to Takato. Whether this was Takehiro's intention, she did not know.

She rested her head on her hands, allowing the events of the day to fill her mind. What had started out as a normal school day had become one jam-packed with unexpected twists and turns. Mei wished more than anything to have Takato back home, where he was safe from whatever that forces that were arrayed against him in the other world. She wished that Takato never found the portal, or that he would find it later... a lot later.

Mei sighed yet again. She knew that Takato finding the portal was inevitable. Her son had been depressed during the first few days of Guilmon's leaving. Mei saw it with her own eyes that nothing she did could fill the gap in his heart left by Guilmon. She had to admit, the red bread-eating dinosaur that was Takato's creation was an unforgettable being that left his mark on her heart as well. Though Mei found it weird that the dinosaur preferred bread to meat, she couldn't say that she knew much about the Digimon in general.

Guilmon was a special being, one that had livened their lives with his innocence and antics. Already, though she had only spent a fraction of time with the dinosaur compared to her son, she had felt a connection to the saurian. Thus, she could understand how depressed Takato had felt when Guilmon left. She knew that Takato would seize any chance to get Guilmon back again, even if it meant venturing into the Digital World. However, on that thought, Mei had to suppress the incredible urge to scold Takato the moment he came home. He had left without her permission, without even saying a goodbye. Of course, Mei knew that he was worried that she would not allow it, worried that he would worry her.

_Ironic really, seeing how when he does these things to try and prevent me from worrying, it makes me worry more. _

Then she recalled watching through the eyes of the Zero-Arms DRAGOON in Hypnos' server, remembering that Takato was now with Guilmon, who was likely able to protect her son should the need arise. After all, the dino had already proven his capabilities enough times in the past, not to mention that her son had a knack of finding ways out of sticky situations that no one thought of.

Even though she understood all this, she couldn't help but still worry for her son. That was because for all his pros, he was practically a magnet for trouble. Not to mention his clumsiness.

_Don't be silly, Guilmon is there for him. I'm sure Guilmon would be able to take care of Takato. And Takato is already grown up. Not physically, but mentally. That is far more than enough._ With that thought, her fears eased a little, though they were not banished.

"Mei? Hello, Earth to Mei..."

Mei blinked her eyes, before smiling apologetically at her husband for daydreaming. "I'm sorry, what were you saying?"

"Never mind," Takehiro waved the matter away.

"What? Tell me now, Takehiro... or else..."

Takehiro sighed. "Well, I was just asking if you wanted to prepare Takato's room for one extra person... or Digimon."

Mei blinked at his words, before giving him a slim smile. "Well, that's a great idea. I think maybe I'll do it now."

She gave Takehiro a kiss on the cheek, and then left him to finish cleaning up the shop.

* * *

**_:_. Digital Plane - Sovereign Plane  
****Ruins of ****Zhuqiaomon's Palace  
**

**05:36 PM JST**

_That's going to leave a mark..._ Zhuqiaomon thought with satisfaction as he watched the bodies of Dukemon and Justimon soar through the air and fall like rocks.

"Dukemon! Justimon!" a decidedly female voice exclaimed, though for the life of him he couldn't seem to tell whose it was._ No matter, it is not going to matter much after I delete them. _

"Rika! Get into DRAGOON!" the boy known as Henry Wong told the female human, who was rooted to the ground along with her partner Kyuubimon. Both stared as they watched their friends land harshly on the solid ground, gravity taking a hold on them. Zhuqiaomon ignored them for now and focused on the boy. A desire for revenge filled him. He would never forget the day he lost to a human, who had disgustingly fused his data with his partner. Even to today, he could not digest that fact without some apprehension. It was wrong to the extreme. And furthermore, the boy had caused him to waste one of his Digicores to restore his strength, making him weaker when the time came for the assault on the Chaos.

Henry Wong was part of the reason why he was in his weakened state now, unable to use any of his Digicores to boost his strength as there were no energy left in any of them and had to be recharged. Still, Zhuqiaomon was glad that he had mustered the strength to call upon the fire aura, which was much like an armour.

Zhuqiaomon was glad in fact that the other two had asked their friends to gather together. It made his work that much easier. He did not recall anymore the cause of his attack, but rather was glad that he had something to take his frustration on.

"Crimson Blaze!!"

"Watch out, Rika!" The fox managed to convey to her partner and push the redhead aside before leaping to meet his attack, countering it with her own. "Dragon Wheel!!" _Fool._ Zhuqiaomon thought. _I am two levels above her and a Sovereign to boot. Does she really think that her attack even stands a chance against mine? _

He watched as his attack slammed into hers, dissolving the blue flame in a fury of red before Kyuubimon emerged from the flames, battered. _They stand absolutely no chance at all. And they seek for the Saviour. Blah! Fools all of them. They wouldn't last five minutes against him. I am weakened, and yet I can hold two of their oh-so-mighty Biomerged forms effortlessly. _

As for the said Digimon, Justimon was currently attempting to get up, using his metal arm to push him up. Dukemon was doing likewise, though the damage on him was far more substantial due to the fact that he took two of the fiery attacks head on. Both their armour was barely holding it together. Dukemon was lacking his lance and holding tightly onto his shield. Once he lost that, he was practically a walking tin can that could do no more harm than a housefly. Already, his shield was glowing brightly, evidence that he was charging his _Final Elysium _attack.

So, Zhuqiaomon decided to interrupt. "Crimson Blaze!" The flames engulfed Dukemon, who was by then already too tired to carry on dodging and had to hold his ground, abandoning his attack and using the shield for its intended purpose. Zhuqiaomon narrowed his four eyes, hurrying himself so that he could use his _Blazing Helix_ attack again. The one downside about that attack was that it drained a lot of energy, but was well worth it.

Then, Zhuqiaomon realised that he had neglected the 'fake Digimon' that was known as DRAGOON. It appeared Henry Wong and Rika Nonaka were already inside. _They never learn. _Zhuqiaomon turned to face the new threat as DRAGOON unleashed a deadly _Yuggoth Blaster_ attack. Zhuqiaomon, unfortunately, could not counter nor dodge the attack in time and was suffering the consequences. The data deleting attack began to eat at his defensive aura, eating away the heating shield faster than Zhuqiaomon could recharge it.

The phoenix blinked in surprise when he realised he had been tricked. The _Yuggoth Blaster _attack was _meant_ to drain his shield, so that Justimon could close in and attack. "Critical Arm!!" The red blade plunged into his digital flesh, emitting a involuntary screech from his beak.

Justimon then jumped away as the Zero-Arms released a barrage of lasers that battered at the area. But Zhuqiaomon wasn't about to fall for the same trick twice, and turned to present his protected side to the attack, so that the lasers bounced off him instead. It was the equilivent of jumping from the frying pan into the fire. Because just as he did, Dukemon came charging with the Aegis head-on, thus changing what was intended to be a flanking attack into a frontal assault. Zhuqiaomon quickly tried to swat him away with one of his talons, but Dukemon blocked the talon with his shield and bashed that talon with it. Zhuqiaomon bit back a cry of pain as he took to the sky. The Tamers proceeded to all charge at once, which gave him the perfect opening.

"Blazing Helix!!"

Immediately, the Tamers attempted to retreat. However, it was already too late. Their momentum was what brought their downfall, literally as they fell from the sky, no longer suspended and in the reaches of gravity once again. Explosions shook the air around him, but Zhuqiaomon paid it no heed. He was basking in his victory over the Tamers.

That was what caused him to be oblivious to the sudden change in atmosphere around him. When he noticed it, the Sovereign felt fear.

_No... Impossible... it can't be... _

* * *

**Hurray for cliffhangers!  
**

**For those that don't know, let me tell you that cliffhangers are the only way to end any chapter in any kind of story! That is my motto (or was it 'End the World'? *shrugs*).**

**Anyways, I would most of all like to thank Canis Black, A Flying Tomato, SpookyButt and valenciadarkness for reviewing. I would like to apologise for the for the seriously long update and I apologise in advance for the future, where chances are that I would take even longer. I am going to be very busy next year as it will be my last and most important year in school, not to mention that accessing the computer would be limited. Don't worry as I will most definitely try my best to update as quickly as I can.**


	26. Return of Chaos, Blades of Power

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Digimon, but I do own the plot, and DRAGOON.

* * *

**Digimon Continuity**

_**Quest for the Digimon**_

Chapter 26

_Return of Chaos, Blades of Power_

_

* * *

  
_

_**:.**_** Digital Plane - Sovereign Plane  
Ruins of Zhuqiaomon's Palace**

**05:42 PM JST**

That hurt… Takato, inside his crimson sphere, winced slightly when he rolled off his injured arm, an action duplicated by Dukemon. Lucky, he still held on to the Aegis. Still, that was the only good thing. Pain attacked the entirety of his body, pain that he would not have thought possible. And that's with Guilmon sharing it too… "You okay, buddy?"

Takato heard Guilmon's groan echo in the darkness outside his sphere. _"I hurt everywhere, Takato…"_

Takato winced. _"Yeah, I feel it too."_

The boy shifted his vision to look through the eyes of Dukemon, and struggled to get to his feet in that large crater he had made in the ground. He felt Guilmon pouring what strength he had into the task as well. Never had Takato thought such a simple task would be so darn hard.

"Justimon?" Dukemon asked aloud, his dual voice blending the tones of two different beings so well that it sounded more like one voice to outsiders who didn't know the two. While doing so, Dukemon placed one end of his shield on the ground, holding onto the other side to push himself to his feet. The shield cracked the ground beneath it even further, sinking slightly.

"I'm here," Justimon's voice answered warily. Dukemon barely managed to discern that there were more of Ryo's tones in it than Cyberdramon's. "Just not in one piece."

Panicking, Dukemon turned to see Justimon get to his feet as well, looking to be whole, much to the contradictory image that Dukemon had of Justimon in two pieces. That gesture also earned him a sharp jab of pain and some pained laughter from Justimon at his reaction.

"Now I know why Rika calls you Gogglehead," Justimon said jovially despite their situation. Dukemon could practically hear the smile on Justimon's face.

Dukemon began to shake his head at his companion, only to stop the gesture when pain began to spike. "I can't believe you can still joke at a time like this, Justimon. You're either very brave or… well… uh…" Dukemon stammered in the way of the legendary Takato Matsuki when he tried to look for the right word.

"Dumb? Stupid? Too idiotic for my own good?" Justimon asked, before his voice turned hard and serious. "Enough of joking around. But, for the record, I'm neither. It's just that Zhuqiaomon's a little distracted right now," he said, jerking a thumb in the said phoenix's direction.

Dukemon doubted that Ryo Akiyama was dumb, stupid or idiotic… though he doubted that the latter wasn't brave. However, Dukemon turned his attention to Zhuqiaomon only to find that Justimon had been right. The Sovereign had seemingly frozen, though his wings were flapping and his fires blazing. He took completely no notice of the two Megas… or of anything that was currently happening on the battlefield. Dukemon had a feeling that if he chose to attack Zhuqiaomon at the moment, the latter wouldn't even dodge or block. This would make for an easy victory…

But his conscious didn't allow him to take this strike, and neither did Justimon suggest doing so even though he had noticed the Sovereign being oblivious to his surroundings long before.

Before Dukemon could make a choice on what to do, Henry's voice suddenly cut into the sides of his head, as though he had headphones in his ears and they were adjusted at maximum volume.

"Takato! Ryo! You guys alright?!"

"_Ow… you don't have to yell…"_ Takato said, his view through Dukemon's eyes fading to show the barely visible lines of the sphere he was in again.

"_Agreed,"_ came Ryo's voice, baring only the slightest indication of pain in it.

"_Sorry to pop in on ya like that fellas,"_ Impmon's disembodied voice said.

"How come Impmon's on this channel too?" Takato asked in curiosity.

"_Well duh!" _The virus Rookie's voice snapped. _"Yamaki's good old, custom D-Terminals of course! Have you forgotten what they can do _already?!_"_

Before Takato could give an answer, Rika's irritated tones coated with her usual sarcasm joined the chatter as well. _"Enough talk! Anyone has any suggestions on why our good buddy Zhuqiaomon is like Takato when he's thinking of Jeri?"_

"_Hey!! I-"_

"_I believe so, Wildcat," _Ryo's calm tones cut his protest mid-sentence, though the practicality of him using one of his several nicknames for Rika could be debated. _"Cyberdramon's senses are detecting something… off."_ Takato could practically visualise Henry straighten up. It is not often that Cyberdramon would detect something that was, in Justimon's words, 'off'.

He then felt Dukemon's body shift to look the Sovereign by Guilmon's will, so he looked through Dukemon's eyes once more, only to realise that Zhuqiaomon was shaking for some reason.

The reading could have been from the Sovereign… _But somehow… I doubt that… _

"_Yeah,_" Dukemon heard Henry's voice in both his ears. _"I have checked DRAGOON's sensors and I've detected a spike in a strange energy reading…" _While Henry talked in his ear, Dukemon's eyes caught DRAGOON circling over the two Megas' heads. _"Odd…"_ Henry suddenly said. _"That's weird."_

"_What's weird, Brainiac?" _Rika's voice inquired, though more in curiosity than irritation this time.

"This energy reading… it can't be…"

"_Spit it out already, Henry!"_ Terriermon added. _"Don't keep us in suspense!"_

Dukemon heard Henry swallow. _"The reading is akin… to that…"_

"_Henry!!"_ Terriermon's half joking tones exclaimed, much in the imitation of the way Henry would say the dog-bunny's name when the green Rookie said a badly timed joke or the equivalent.

"Of the D-Reaper…"

Silence filled the air as Dukemon and Justimon turned abruptly to face each other as though to confirm that they had both heard what Henry had said.

"_WHAT?!"_ Takato unknowingly screamed aloud. _"But I thought that we had defeated the D-Reaper already!! How…"_

Takato Matsuki's words faded away as he realised something. Zhuqiaomon was shaking for a reason, and as Dukemon looked closely, he found to his horror that Zhuqiaomon was _struggling_… and that reason for his 'shaking' was that he was fighting the grip of some invisible enemy.

As inside Dukemon, Takato was opening his mouth to tell the others of his discovery, Dukemon's gaze almost absentmindedly shifted to the hole under Zhuqiaomon, the hole which had been created during the battle between SaintGargomon and the said Sovereign, the hole which had not yet been repaired.

The hole which Zhuqiaomon was now conveniently hovering over.

Before any of them could say or do anything, a large blob of red and gold mass reached out from the large hole under Zhuqiaomon…

And swallowed the phoenix whole.

* * *

_**:. **_**Digital Plane - Unknown Location**

**05:45 PM JST**

"My lord… what do you believe we should do?"

The third and most powerful of the three Megas, excluding the Sovereigns, that survived the battle of the Chaos, closed his eyes in thought.

However, it was hard to think at the moment, given that his mind was occupied in a _certain_ task.

"How long?" he asked, only barely finding enough concentration to even utter the words without stammering.

"Mere minutes ago, my lord," one of the other Megas answered, though he could not find enough concentration to tell between the two at the moment.

He bit his tongue painfully to prevent himself from crying out as an abrupt spike of energy was released due to the lack of sufficient focus. Then, grinding his teeth, he brought that energy level back down to more comfortable levels… and safer ones as well. The _power_, which he was wielding, was deadly… at best.

At worst… he didn't want to think about it.

But there were both boons and banes to everything. The _power_ came from the energy he generated within him. This energy, in small doses, was able to restore and heal. However, in massive quantities, it could easily disintegrate next to anything. Even Chrome Digizoid, given time. However, it was impossible to keep a steady flow outwards, as this energy was much like a wave. The output would sometimes drop tremendously before abruptly soaring to heights so great that it might even damage him, its host. Thus, using the _power_ for either healing or fighting was risky. If he tried to heal someone, the energy levels might leap sky high, deleting the one he wished to heal instead. If he tried to use the _power_ for fighting, the energy levels might drop drastically, thus healing his enemy instead.

The latter situation, he believed, had happened once, which was why the True Enemy was still in existence… or parts of it anyway. Even though with the help of _the other_ he had managed to destroy most of the Chaos, even _the other_ could not command full control of the _power_. _The other _could only help him in keeping the energy flow as consistent as possible… which was not a hundred percent.

If he could master control of the _power_ without the aid of _the other_, he was certain that it would be able to let him master the full potential of the _power_ without undesired consequences. He had originally intended to do so for some time already. However, now that the humans had come, he had to push forward his schedule and do it as soon as possible. He predicted that a battle might commence soon. Who knew when the mastery might come in handy? Also, mastering the _power_ would also allow him to finally finish off the True Enemy once and for all without the risk of accidentally reviving it again.

_Which is ironic… really, that it decides to show up now, while I am trying to master _it_. _He mused, before the _power_ lashed out again and he had to force his focus back to regain control. _Urgh. This is much more difficult than I have imagined… alone. _

But he then diverted some of his focus to concentrate on the uprising situation, hoping that his current amount was sufficient… if only for a little while.

"Then… you have to fight it," he managed to gasp before he had to force his attention back on maintaining the balance and control of the _power_.

"How? We barely stood up to it before. It is you that is needed in this battle, my lord."

Grinding his teeth so hard that he thought that a bone or two might begin to crack, the Mega gave a quick reply. "Because I'm right now focused on _my_ training." An energy spike was released yet again, but he ignored it and the pain it brought for now, as it did not yet pose a threat to the inhabitants of this chamber. "And it would take a long while before my body is attuned to the effects of _it_ again. Thus-"

He let out an involuntary gasp as the _power_ overwhelmed him slightly for a moment. Part of him could sense the other Megas' urge to come to his aid, but this was a battle that only he could fight… as well as the fact that the energy spikes were extremely dangerous to anyone who ventured too close. If he had sweat, he would have been drowning in it.

"I must complete this training first." He finished at last, thus being able to return his attention to managing the energy spikes.

"But how are we able to fight the True Enemy then?" One of the other Megas of which he was certain was Darkdramon asked in doubt.

In reply, he straightened his back slightly, unfolding the top two of his wings and opened two outlets for his power, one to go through the left and the other to go through the right. Calling on the aid of _the other_, he summoned his two swords, known as the _Holy Victory_ and the _Ancient Trident_, causing them to materialise.

The blades were complex in design and beautifully forged… if that was how they came about. Both had similar lengths of a metre and a half and were double-edged swords as well, an ironic representation of the _power_. The _Holy Victory_ had a hilt with a diamond engorged in one end, and it was long enough to hold comfortably with two hands without upsetting the balance of the weapon. The crossguard comprised of two golden angelic wings sprouting from the sides of the weapon, with a single gold gem in the middle. One could almost compare the wings to that of a Seraphimon's, so similar were they.

The blade itself bore the name of the weapon in Digicode, which could be read from top down. It had a layer of sharpened gold Chrome Digizoid surrounding the core of the blade, giving the weapon a deadly edge… literally. It also possessed a unique property, which allowed it to act much like a booster, multiplying the power coursed through it. That meant that a little spark of energy channelled through one end of the weapon could come out the other end the power of a lightning bolt. It would be unwise to be on the wrong side of this weapon. It appeared whatever magic the Angel Digimon possessed that made them so powerful was present in this weapon as well.

However, it had a slight drawback. It would take time to recharge the gem in the crossguard that was the main source of the multiplication effect of the weapon. Thus, the more powerful the blast, the longer it took before this ability could be used again.

The _Ancient Trident_ looked anything but ancient. Its hilt was similarly designed to that of the _Holy Victory_, with the same designs to maintain balance and allow for a double grip. As for the crossguard, however, there were no fanciful designs like its companion. It simply consisted of a wide V that separated the two sides of the weapon.

On the other hand, the blade's design was focused more on the blade itself. The _Ancient Trident _also had its name carved in Digicode on the flat of both sides of the blade while the centre portion of the blade jutted out from the sides a quarter metre from the tip, much like how a skyscraper's lightning rod stood out against its rooftop. It possessed a mechanism that allowed it transform itself into an even larger broadsword when needed by a simple manipulation of the lower half of the hilt, causing the sides of the blade to separate from the centre and shift up the V-shaped crossguard. This made the sides more or less level with the centre, while golden energy crackled between the sides and the centre. Once it came in contact with an enemy's weapon or the enemy himself, the energy would flow through the _Ancient Trident_ and give the enemy a nasty shock, making it more than just an average broadsword.

Well, I never said my weapons were simple. He mused when the swords appeared.

Feeling drained after producing the two powerful weapons, he beckoned his fellow Megas to take up the arms. Darkdramon wielded the _Holy Victory _while TigerVespamon wielded the _Ancient Trident_. He could sense the surprise and awe in them as they took their new weapons.

"With this," he said weakly, feeling more drained than ever. "You will be able to combat the Chaos much more effectively. However," he stiffened at the _power_ going out of control again, "take note that some attacks involving the weapons would sap your energy. Thus, try and maximise these attacks by only dealing blows when you see openings to take advantage of."

While he gave them advice, he felt more like a worried father lecturing his children on what to do and what not to do. He was on the verge of laughing at the thought when he lost control of the _power_ again.

Darkdramon nodded, while TigerVespamon held his new weapon at his side and straightened himself, both seemingly proud to be the bear the weapons.

"When will you be able to join us, my lord?" One of them asked.

"I do not know," he replied. "But I'll come to your aid as soon as I can." His eyes narrowed, however. He knew that he would not be able to make an appearance in this battle. He hoped that he would be able to make the next, though.

"Now _go_!" He commanded.

The two Megas nodded and gave a proper bow, one that he did not lecture them on as he barely had the strength to talk anymore, and they left, keeping their head down the whole time and never showing him their backs as they exited the chamber.

He sighed, and returned to concentrating on mastering control of the _power_, hoping that he was making the right choice.

* * *

_**:.**_** Real World - Japan, Shinjuku  
Nonaka Residence**

**05:45 PM JST**

Two women sat on their legs at a short table, both watching the setting sun as it descended slowly behind the tall buildings of Shinjuku and the land beyond, silent and deep within their own thoughts. One was preparing a cup of tea as usual, never spilling a drop as she poured the boiling mixture into a cup. However, if one looked closely, one could see her hand shaking slightly, the only marker of the impact the recent events had on her.

"Tell me something, Mom," the other woman otherwise known as Rumiko Nonaka said, breaking the silence, her tone indicting the seriousness of the conservation about to take place and holding slight sadness as well in contradiction to her rather emotional one not so long ago. "I was a bad mother, wasn't I?"

Seiko shook her head in reply, putting down the pot with both hands before taking the cup of steaming liquid and putting it to her lips. She took a small sip, allowing her daughter's words to seemingly echo in the silence of the room before replying, "No, Rumiko. You were as good a mother as your career allowed… and as Rika herself allowed. You have tried your best to sympathise with her as best you could already-"

"But it wasn't good enough," Her daughter cut. "She had gone through something so horrible… yet when she needed me most, I wasn't there for her. I was a horrible mother…"

"That isn't a good judgement of your motherhood, Rumiko," Seiko said, ignoring the younger lady's self-doubting words. "I remember that Kiyoyuki and yourself were at loggerheads at that time. I think that even Rika sensed that something was wrong with both her parents subconsciously, but was too young to be able to do anything." Rumiko sat in silence, trying hard to listen to Seiko's words and not interrupt in impatience. "You wouldn't have trusted Rika's words at that time because they were ridiculous and you yourself had believed that Kiyoyuki might have some other woman out there."

Seiko gave her daughter a small smile before putting down her cup. "If it helps, I would have believed the latter explanation as well. Rika had just returned from Kiyoyuki's trip to the fun fair… brought to us by the police. The events had lead us to believe that Kiyoyuki had somehow convinced Rika of the story that a monster had turned him into tiny bits and made him disappear, dumped her somewhere for the police to find and bring to us, and went off with some other person. That was the _logical_ conclusion, Rumiko. He just disappeared without a trace."

"But-"

"No buts, Rumiko," Seiko said firmly. "Stop pushing all the blame to yourself. We did not know of the existence of Digimon, though several events had hinted at it for a long time. There was no way we could have done anything. You've tried your best, and Rika was simply not ready for you. That is all."

Rumiko sighed. "Or perhaps she does not want me…" A single tear began to form in her eyes, which was a rarity. Seiko moved over to her daughter's side, embracing her. Rumiko put her head on her mother's shoulder and allowed her tears to flow freely. Seiko put a hand on the back of Rumiko's head, much like how she used to do a long time ago when Rumiko was still young.

"There, there," Seiko comforted, patting the back of her head with one hand and rubbing her back with the other. "I am sure that Rika will realise soon enough how much she needs you. Or she has already realised that. Either way, I am certain that she will not reject you or hate you. I understand Rika enough to know that."

Wiping off her tears, Rumiko regained her composure and released herself from her mother. However, her tears had caused her makeup to smudge slightly. Wiping it had only caused it to dry up on her face, giving her two black marks down her face.

Seiko smiled slightly at the sight. It was as though Rumiko were a kid again, getting her face smudged with either paint or ink. But Rumiko took her smile as a smile of encouragement, which Seiko didn't mind, and smiled back.

"But… maybe I should become a better mother…" Rumiko considered.

"Perhaps…" Seiko said in reply, before adding jokingly. "But don't forget, you are still this household's breadwinner."

Rumiko nodded. "Don't worry about that. But I will just make my schedule more… flexible."

"I think Rika would like that a lot. I know for a fact that she hates you to leave abruptly whenever she gets to spend some quality time with you, even though she doesn't admit it."

Rumiko's eyes lit up. "You mean shopping?!"

Seiko shook her head in amusement. "No. I simply meant mother-to-daughter time. I think that a nice heart to heart would be good for the both of you when Rika returns. At least then you can debate about your issues about shopping with Rika."

"I don't have issues!" Rumiko said astonished denial to her words.

Seiko chuckled. "Well, I think you'll see from Rika's point of view soon enough."

The model began to smile, before it turned into a frown. "But…" she looked away. "What if Rika doesn't come back?"

Seiko rested a hand on her daughter's shoulder. "I think that Rika can take care of herself. We, as her family, should have faith in her abilities. After all, she had stopped a world crisis. Not to mention the fact that Renamon would not leave Rika to face danger alone, as well as the presence of her other friends."

A look of relief passed Rumiko's face. Seiko was certain that her daughter's doubts would return, but for now, everything looked like it wasgoing to be all right.

* * *

_**:.**_** Digital Plane - Sovereign Plane  
Ruins of Zhuqiaomon's Palace**

**05:45 PM JST**

"Holy…" Impmon began.

"…Crap cow!" A certain dog-bunny finished.

"Terriermon!!"

"I agree with the Impmon and Rabbitmon…" Rika said, half in shock, half in horror at the scene that was unfolding before her eyes.

"_Uh… guys… give me something to work on here…" _Ryo Akiyama's slightly shaken, but still confident voice emerged from Henry and Rika's D-Terminals.

But, as quick as its attack on the Sovereign, the mass of red and gold proceeded to attack Justimon and Dukemon by simply slogging itself toward them at a rapid pace.

Both Megas panicked and began to run in the opposite direction from where the modified D-Reaper was approaching.

"_Heeeenrrrrry…"_ came Takato, in a tone that sounded as though Rika Nonaka herself was in a rage and hot on his tail.

"I am entering the battle," DRAGOON announced shortly before he put on a burst of speed, causing everyone who was not secure to hit the back wall as the g-forces came into effect. D-Terminals hit them a second later as they were not anchored to the mainframe. Only Henry was where he was, as he had buckled himself into his seat.

"You guys all right back there?" Henry asked, looking over his shoulder.

"A little _more_ of an advance warning next time would be nice," Rika snarled in irritation. _Now I really wish I could Biomerge… to fight along side Akiyama and Gogglehead. Or if nothing else at least escape this accursed wreck!! _That was one reason why she _never_ liked to travel in cars too much. The one at the wheel couldn't be trusted at times.

"Agreed," Renamon said, untangling herself from the bundle of bodies that lay at the back wall and getting to her feet.

"Yeah… that hurt!!" Terriermon whined.

Impmon was about to launch his own protest when DRAGOON's next warning came. "Hold on."

Predicting what would come next, Rika and the other Digimon quickly threw themselves into a seat and buckled on just in time as DRAGOON went into a dizzying dive at the modified D-Reaper.

"Yuggoth Blaster!!"

Everyone aboard DRAGOON Express felt the recoil of the attack as the Zero-Arms let loose the most powerful weapon in its arsenal. However, only Henry knew of the results of DRAGOON's attack.

Rika merely grind her teeth and sent a tendril of thought towards Renamon as she heard from both the D-Terminal and from DRAGOON's speakers as they received the sound of Dukemon declaring a _Final Elysium _attack.

"_I wish we could do something other than be burdens to the others, Renamon!"_

"_Me too, Rika,"_ Renamon's voice sighed within the confines of her mind. _"I wish I could help too… but just now… I felt so _helpless_. There was nothing my attacks could do to Zhuqiaomon at all. And now… the D-Reaper is back."_ Rika heard Renamon make a noise of frustration. _"I wish we could Biomerge!!"_

But DRAGOON's hull was suddenly filled with sounds of scrapping and Rika was thrown into her crash-webbing, only barely a hair's breath from hitting her head on the hard metal of the seat in front of her and knocking herself out cold. Something had suddenly pulled DRAGOON's speed from high to zero.

Something big.

Something red.

"Heeeenrrry…" Terriermon began, his tone a little too alike to Takato's for her liking.

More scrapping sounds filled the humid and dense air of DRAGOON's interior. All of them stiffened, listening to the screech of metal on metal. Rika recalled the destructive properties of the Chaos she had seen in the Digital World, deleting on touch. The question was:

Why weren't they digital dust?

The answer was simple.

And Rika didn't like it one bit.

* * *

**Well, what do you know…**

**A little bit of an anti-climax one this time instead of my standard cliffhanger, as it was this or I ended the chapter at the Nonakas' scene, which I, being me, did not want to do. Also, I thought that this chapter was long enough and decided to save the rest for the next chapter. I'm evil, aren't I?**

**Okay, I'll admit that perhaps the description of the two swords was a bit too much, but I wanted a clearer image of it (for my own benefit as well mind you), since they would be more significant in future. Anyway, I decided to add a nice little scene with Rumiko and Seiko, which I thought, turned out better than I expected. **

**Well, now on to other stuff. First, for the reviewers…**

**- Guess what Canis? You guessed right!… or a third right… or a third party… or…  
I'm confusing myself, aren't I? Anyways, you hit the jackpot about a third party. And guess who's the party crasher(s)? As for your next question, I will say that you will have to wait and see to see who Takato **_**really**_** is. The Takato from Brave Tamer? Or another Takato from some other world? And thanks for the ideas… though whether or not I use them is a completely different matter… *chuckles evilly***

**- Don't worry, SpookyButt, I agree with you too. A personal sorry to you for taking so long to update. I'll try to comply with your request and update a little faster next time. But when you're busy with school life, you're too busy to do anything else, sadly. **

**- Too bad, Lans, you guessed wrong on this bit. Glad it was only imaginary money… but it is still pretty close. No Biomerging or Crimson Mode here, but I'm not sure about the next chapter… XD  
And that is the intention of cliffhangers in the first place! To get readers frustrated! I'm glad I managed to do that to you. *cue evil chuckle***

**And now, I thank Crazy  
**

**Anyways, review!!**


	27. Hello, Chaos

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Digimon, but I do own the plot and the concept of DRAGOON.

* * *

**Digimon Continuity**

_**Quest For The Digimon**_

Chapter 27

_Hello, Chaos_

**

* * *

**_**:**_**. Digital Plane – Sovereign Plane  
Ruins of Zhuqiaomon's Palace**

**05:50 PM JST**

"DRAGOON!" Dukemon exclaimed as the D-Reaper practically leapt up and swallowed DRAGOON whole, just like it did Zhuqiaomon. In his surprise, Dukemon stopped completely in his tracks, half wanting to turn tail and rush straight back to the D-Reaper and save his friends, the other half being logical and wanting to get out of there first, reasoning that he would only get himself hurt and not be able to do anything anyway.

But since he was in a dilemma, he just stood there, frozen in shock at what had just happened.

"_Henry! Rika! Impmon! Anyone! Answer me! Are you alright?!" _Takato pleaded, hoping that there would be an answer through the 'hidden radio' within him.

No answer came. It were as though the others had been cut off from he and Justimon... or that they were all d–

_No._ Takato injected firmly. _They are alright... they are inside DRAGOON and are alright. They have DRAGOON's armour holding the D-Reaper at bay now. We just have to get them out of there before the D-Reaper overcomes the armour and..._ His trail of thought came to a halt as he did not want to think further. Tears threatened to overwhelm him, and he had to keep saying to himself over and over again that the others were alright and he had to get them out fast.

"_Takato..."_ Guilmon's uncertain voice came, before it strengthened, as though Guilmon knew that he needed to be strong when Takato himself was not. _"The D-Reaper thingy just ate DRAGOON! We must get them out!" _

Inside the crimson sphere, Takato took a deep breath, though it was more for the calming purposes than really taking a breath. _"You're right, Guilmon,"_ he told the darkness around him that was his partner. _"We have to get them out of there." _

"Justimon," Dukemon said, his voice sounding a lot calmer than he actually was, though in Takato's opinion it sounded slightly shaky. "Any ideas?"

"I don't know..." Justimon said. "Will what happened to DRAGOON and Zhuqiaomon happen to us if we approach? Should we go for long-range attacks? Or should we risk it, go up close and try to dig them outta there?"

Takato was grateful that Justimon did not mention the unspoken possibility that lay between them... that there was no one left to save.

They had to hope.

And furthermore, they had to defeat the D-Reaper before it did anymore damage or took anymore lives.

And before it reached the Real World. No one knew what kind of damage this new D-Reaper was capable of.

No doubt they didn't want to find out.

"Come on then!" Dukemon forced himself to sound upbeat. "I'll head up close and try close-range while you attack from here."

Justimon nodded. "I don't like this plan, putting you at risk. But you have the armour... and you'll stand a better chance should anything happen as well, given how you are more powerful." Dukemon was slightly surprised to hear Justimon praise him in such a way. Justimon was oblivious to his reaction, continuing on. "But we should try and focus on a single spot, to better our chances of getting through."

"Okay then," Dukemon said. "Let's hurry!" He began to charge both his shield and lance, ignoring his aching joints as he began to run, pushing all the pain aside, hoping to get off a long-range blast before he reached the modified D-Reaper to pull off the plan.

"_Please be alright..."_ Takato muttered inside the sphere, praying to whatever god there was up there. As if in reply to his statement, the modified D-Reaper's body suddenly bloated up for an unknown reason.... as though there were an explosion on the inside...

"_They will be alright, Takato. The others are strong too,"_ Guilmon's voice said confidently, perhaps due to the bloating up of the D-Reaper, or perhaps it was what Guilmon wanted to say all along.

Strength wasn't going to matter in the face of the D-Reaper's disintegrating power, Takato wanted to say. But he didn't. He wanted to hope too.

"_You're right. Let's do this!"_ "FINAL ELYSIUM!!"

**

* * *

**

"What happened?" Calumon asked, his voice quivering, just like his person was, breaking the tension.

"We... crashed..." Henry's astounded voice said. Renamon just listened, not really comprehending the situation at the moment. One instant they were flying, and the next they were jammed in what looked like the guts of the monstrous Chaos. Perhaps it was due to the fact that she was unable to do anything, which resulted in her lightning quick reflexes (physical and mental) being dulled.

"No duh, Brainiac," Rika said, before asking the question on everyone's minds. "But why aren't we dead?"

Inside her mind, however, Rika showed her true concern behind the sarcasm. _"Renamon! Are you alright? Is anyone hurt?!" _

Renamon, even in this situation, had to hide a smile at her partner. Even more so at herself. Because, thanks to her partner, her senses suddenly sprang to life, as though just waiting for her partner's order. Renamon mentally sighed (though not on the connection between her and Rika) and shook her head at herself. She was getting soft.

"I don't know" was Henry's reply from somewhere far away. Renamon kept track of the conversation, while also doing a quick scan of everyone to answer Rika's question. She found this ability to multitask most useful in times such as this.

Renamon only did a quick glance on herself. Save for the crash webbing, which was digging into her chest after preventing her from soaring to the front of the chamber, she wasn't hurt.

Terriermon seemed shaken, the crash-webbing he had on almost squishing him into his seat, but he looked ready to let out a stream of badly-timed jokes, which Renamon assumed meant that he was okay. His partner, Henry, was up front at the moment, hurriedly tapping on the keys. Renamon turned her attention to those behind her.

Lopmon and Impmon were now struggling to get out of their webbings, Impmon cursing softly at both the webbing and the situation while Lopmon calmly telling him that he should not curse.

Calumon was a whole different story. He was positively shivering in fright. Renamon frowned, knowing that she had to do something about him.

"_I am fine, Rika. So are the others. We are not hurt in anyway. But you should take a look at Calumon."_

At that, a click was heard and Rika tore off her crash webbing, rushing over to the back to check on Calumon. Renamon heard her taking off Calumon's crash webbing gently (Renamon still had no idea how the little guy got his crash webbing _on_ in the first place), before whispering words of comfort to the former Catalyst.

Soon, Rika appeared once again, Calumon in her arms. Renamon smiled at the sight. Rika looked positively like a mother hen, cuddling Calumon like that, though Renamon would never mention it to her and Rika would never admit it out loud. Despite her tough exterior, Renamon knew on the inside that Rika was truly as much a softie as Jeri was.

Of course, she just had a different way of expressing it.

"Rika? Uh, bad news," Henry said.

"What kind of bad news?" Rika asked in her usual tone, as though nothing had happened and she did not have Calumon in her arms currently.

"I lost contact with Dukemon and Justimon. We're cut off from them somehow by the D-Reaper. Also, it seems that while DRAGOON's Chrome Digizoid armour is holding, it is slowly eroding, which would explain somewhat the scraping sounds." Henry waved a hand as if to emphasise.

"It is like DRAGOON is the shell and we're the fleshy beings inside!" Terriermon summarised, as expected. Renamon rolled her eyes at the analogy.

"Terriermon!" Henry exclaimed, flinching slightly about how Terriermon had implied that they were the 'meal'.

"What?" Terriermon asked in a whiny tone. "I'm right, aren't I?"

"I believe that is the problem, Terriermon," Renamon at last said.

Terriermon pouted; a scene so familiar that some of the tension had already begun to drain out in spite of their situation. "Great, I'm wrong even when I'm right."

"Whatever," Rika said, glaring at Terriermon. The image was so off that Renamon herself had to resist laughing out loud by biting her lip. Rika holding Calumon and glaring at Terriermon at the same time was indeed an amusing scene.

_Nothing like a good dose of humour to liven up the place. And by the gods do we need livening up. _

"So what's the solution, Brainiac? How are we going to get out of red and gold around us before we're all eaten?" Rika asked, at last releasing Terriermon from her glare and turning her gaze to Henry, where he sat in a thoughtful pose, pondering.

"I'm working on it," Henry said. "I think that the only way is to somehow get the D-Reaper to give us some distance. Enough so that DRAGOON can get his thrusters blasting. Right now, DRAGOON has to seal them up to prevent the D-Reaper from getting in."

"And how are we going to do that?" Impmon spoke up. "It's not like we can push the D-Reaper away from us right? Unless DRAGOON can expand his armour."

As Renamon watched, it was as though a light had been turned on in Henry's eyes. He began nodding to some idea inside that only he knew. Then he began grinning like an idiot.

"_Did someone hit Henry too hard on the head?"_Rika mused inside Renamon's mind.

"_Perhaps,"_ Renamon replied mentally. _"We may have something on here."_

"Hey, Brainiac! Stop looking like a fool and tell us already!" Terriermon finally said before Rika no doubt would.

"I had a brilliant idea!" Henry told them, beaming. Renamon chuckled at the almost child-like expression on Henry's usually mature face.

"No duh, spit it out already!" Impmon grumbled irritably. The room was full of sarcastic beings.

"Well, we could use your idea, Impmon! We could expand a shield around DRAGOON and push away the D-Reaper long enough to probably get out of here!"

"May I inquire how we are to do as such?" Lopmon asked.

"Yeah, it's not like we can expand DRAGOON like Impmon said," Terriermon piped in.

"No," Henry said, still grinning. "But I do recall Taomon using a shield not so long ago."

"Ah," Renamon said, finally getting the gist of his idea. It was a good idea... however...

"Brainiac, I swear you _did_ bang your head too hard. Have you forgotten that Renamon can't reach Taomon? None of us can reach Ultimate, ring any bells?" Rika pointed out more forcefully than necessary.

Henry's crestfallen face was painful to watch, and the scraping of metal made it worse. Renamon turned away, not wanting to face the disappointment on Henry's face.

"No," Henry began carefully, picking his words slowly. However, his next words came out in an exclamation, causing Renamon to turn her gaze back to Henry. "But we can use the cards!"

"Cards?" Rika asked, clearly implying for Henry to elaborate, though Renamon could see the understanding in her eyes.

"We can use a Taomon card! And Renamon can use the spell to cast a shield, and then expand it!"

"That is a good idea," Renamon noted, smiling at her friends.

"Hurray! We're going to get out of here!" Calumon suddenly exclaimed from Rika's arms, surprising everyone.

"Alright already, shesh, let's get to work!" Terriermon called.

With that, everyone hurried into place as Henry outlined his plan. First of all, Rika and herself were to generate a shield around DRAGOON, holding back the D-Reaper for as long as possible. The other Digimon were to begin charging their most powerful attack in preparation for firing at the D-Reaper.

When asked how they were to do that, Henry told them that they would be firing from DRAGOON's side door. It was to work like this. Renamon was to collapse the shield the moment everyone was ready and in place, and everyone (including DRAGOON) was to fire at one specific point of the D-Reaper, thereby weakening that area, long enough for DRAGOON to be able to burst right through the D-Reaper to get out.

It was a simple plan, but there were of course complications.

**

* * *

**

"FINAL ELYSIUM!!"

"It seems the battle against the Chaos has already begun," TigerVespamon mused.

"Indeed," Darkdramon replied, trying to go for the calm and collected tone that TigerVespamon was using but failing. He could not contain his eagerness at being given a weapon of the Saviour (and what power! Even now, he could feel the pulsing of the weapon he held in his hand in his veins).

Of course, Darkdramon could see the irony of how he, a Virus type Digimon, was wielding the _Holy Victory_, a weapon that was supposed to be wielded by angels against those like him.

He and TigerVespamon were flying at full speed toward the Chaos, which they could see from even where they were, miles away. Darkdramon found the colouring of the Chaos now odd, seeing how it was had patches of gold on red, which made Darkdramon think that the Chaos had probably absorbed some of the energy released by the Saviour when he supposedly destroyed it. It appeared to have taken up residence at a Sovereign's old ruin of a palace. Darkdramon vaguely wondered what happened to the Sovereign and decided that he would find out later.

"Prepare yourself, Darkdramon!" his companion ordered as they neared.

Darkdramon nodded. Time to try out his new weapon.

"Holy Victory!" He called the weapon's name, causing his blade to begin glowing, starting from the gem to the tip of the blade itself.

_Now, time for a little trial and error... and hopefully, some destruction as well. _

"Dark Roar!!" Darkdramon stopped in mid-air while TigerVespamon soared onward, not looking back at him as the latter already knew what he was about to do. Darkdramon opened his mouth and an orb of pure Dark Matter began to form. He held the _Holy Victory_ in front of him with both hands, the tip facing the Chaos and the gem facing up. With that, Darkdramon 'placed' his attack on the gem, and thus began concentrating his attack on the weapon itself.

It was interesting to watch as the blade began glowing even further as the gem absorbed the entire attack slowly, while another, far larger version of the attack formed on the tip of the _Holy Victory_. It was, in contrast to the pure black colour of the original attack with various bolts of purple lightning across it, a far lighter colour. The new powered up _Dark Roar_ was golden, with black bolts sizzling across the surface of the orb.

And, it was far bigger than the original attack.

Darkdramon let out a laugh of pure exhilaration as he released the attack straight at the Chaos.

He watched proudly as his new attack flew right past TigerVespamon's open-mouthed expression and impacted right on the Chaos, causing an explosion so big and so loud that the ground shook for a few deafening moments where Darkdramon could not even hear his laugh.

Once the echoes of the explosion had faded, Darkdramon waited eagerly for the smoke the clear as well. And when it did...

His face fell.

There wasn't a scratch or any visible mark on the Chaos that indicated the damage the attack inflicted.

Angry now, Darkdramon charged straight at the Chaos, firing _Dark Roar_ attacks randomly at the Chaos. He watched as the Chaos gave way under the attacks... and then absorb them.

"Stop wasting your energy, fool!" TigerVespamon barked. "Energy attacks are useless against it!" He said in a tone that implied that he knew so all along.

"Shut up!" Darkdramon raged, going berserk and beginning to rain blows on the Chaos the moment he reached it.

He was only vaguely aware of TigerVespamon calling him a fool once more before flying off to do whatever it was that the bee for a Mega did.

**

* * *

**

"Ready, Renamon?" Rika asked. Everyone was in position. Gargomon (Henry had Digivolved Terriermon), Impmon and Lopmon were at the door; ready to go through it the moment the shield came up. Henry was at the controls, setting everything up. Calumon, after being comforted, was strapped once again into the crash webbing. The remaining D-Terminals that had been scattered across the ground had been picked up and either tucked into pockets or, like Henry's, glued to the control panel.

Renamon nodded. She took deep breaths, obviously trying to clear her digital lungs in preparation of the pressure that had been placed firmly on it the moment she realised that the entire plan was on her maintaining the shield long enough. Rika sympathised with her. Even though Renamon was... well, Renamon, the pressure usually fell on both of them as Sakuyamon, not just Renamon. Being a warrior and all did not teach one how to deal with pressure.

"Don't worry, Renamon," Gargomon said. "If the shield collapses, the only thing that would happen is that we will become one with the Force."

"Way to put pressure on her, Rabbitmon," Rika scolded, though her heart clearly wasn't in it, seeing how she herself was trying to resist a smile at the Star Wars reference. Even she knew enough about the English language to know _that_.

"I swear, you watch too many American shows..." Henry muttered from up front. "I don't even know where you get them in Japan..."

"Momentai, both of you," Gargomon said, grin on his face. "And the Internet is a good way. I download them! And besides, language barriers don't matter to me!"

While the two livened up the tense atmosphere, Rika ignored them, focusing on her partner and their link. _"Renamon, you sure you're ready?"_ Rika sent, voicing her fears only on this private connection.

"_Everyone is relying on me, Rika,"_ Renamon replied, looking into her eyes. _"I have to be ready..."_ Rika didn't like the answer and was about to say so when Renamon continued. _"However, I believe that I am ready, Rika. Trust in me. Trust in my power." _

With a sigh, Rika gave in. _"Alright, but don't you push yourself _too_ hard, okay?"_Rika asked, making it more a request than an order.

Both of them knew that even so, Renamon would push herself to her limit and beyond should there be the need. Neither of them voiced it though, so it hung in the air, a wraith between them.

"Alright! Enough of the chitchat!" Impmon's voice cut into their silence, breaking it and bring the both of them back into reality. "Let's do this already! I don't want to remain here any longer than I have to be!"

"Okay," Rika said, spinning the Taomon card in her hand nervously, yet making the action seem confident. She held her D-Power steadily in her other hand. Taking a deep breath, Rika looked straight into the eyes of her partner, holding it there for a moment, just the two of them...

And then she swiped the card.

"Digi-Modify! Taomon! Activate!"

Immediately, Rika felt the strain via her connection with Renamon as a talisman appeared in her hand, a glowing almost transparent orb materializing around Renamon, before it slowly spread. It went through Rika, making it feel as though she had just broken through the calm surface of a lake to the air above. The shield passed through the others as well with no resistance at all before going through DRAGOON's walls.

"Now!" Henry told the door crew. Gargomon immediately rushed to push open the door as Henry hit the switch, unlocking the door. Henry spun around and began typing, no doubt to prepare DRAGOON to fire the thrusters at maximum the moment the shield went down. Over his shoulder, he asked, "How long, Renamon?"

Rika felt Renamon flinch at the question and knew that her partner almost lost the concentration to hold the shield, which held the D-Reaper's devouring mass at bay. So, she quickly answered for her partner. "Not long."

Rika could sense Henry frown, and perhaps Renamon sensed it too, so she risked a moment to give him more details. "A minute max."

Henry threw a grateful look over his shoulder and was about to proceed with his typing when Gargomon came rushing back in, his face grave.

"We have a problem."

_Crap!_ Rika cursed.

* * *

**Okay, I have officially decided to _not_ care about how Japan would likely not really know what American shows are about and use a reference on Star Wars anyway... which is hopefully famous enough to have been heard of even in Japan. Hopefully... **

**Well, I would like to thank the usual gang for their reviews, as well as Crazyeight, who did the Beta Reading. A million thanks to you all.  
**

**I hope that I will be able to update soon. REVIEW!  
**


	28. Who'd Have Thought?

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Digimon, but I do own the plot and the concept of DRAGOON.

* * *

**Digimon Continuity**

_**Quest For The Digimon**_

Chapter 28

_Who'd Have Thought?_

_

* * *

_

_**:**_**. Digital Plane – Sovereign Plane Ruins of Zhuqiaomon's Palace **

"FINAL ELYSIUM!"

As Dukemon fired off his most powerful attack, he heard Justimon fire off his _Blitz Arm_ attack as well and then saw the orbs of lightning that were the result of the attack fly forth.

Their attacks hit the D-Reaper spectacularly. However, like before, the D-Reaper suffered no damage whatsoever from the attacks.

"_Darn it!"_ Takato mentally cursed. Regardless of how hard they had hit it, the D-Reaper just sat there and ate their attacks with no effect. His confidence in their makeshift plan dropped several notches. What on earth was he thinking, believing that he could just charge in and save everyone like that? The last time, that tactic only worked after loads of backup from the adults on the technicalities that Takato and the others could not quite comprehend. All in all, without the adults, he would not have been able to rescue Jeri back then nor would they have been able to subdue the D-Reaper, that much he was certain.

"_Snap out of it, Takato!"_ Guilmon encouraged, seemingly hearing his thoughts, even though he did not voice them, be it within their shared connection or out loud.

"_But…"_ Takato protested. Before he could go on, Justimon cut in with a sharp warning.

"Dukemon! Watch out!"

Dukemon skidded to a halt, dug his feet in and turned around with his shield up, ready to tackle anything that came at him.

Only to find himself staring down a very, very big mass of energy headed his way.

"_Duck!"_ Guilmon called and Dukemon threw himself to the ground, feeling more than hearing the ridiculously large energy attack surge over his head. Dukemon could feel the power of the attack from just the proximity by how it made Dukemon's data tingle and shiver as though in terror. Dukemon then heaved a sigh of relief at the close call.

Looking behind him, he only barely caught a glimpse of the attack making contact with the D-Reaper before an earth shattering explosion resulted, carrying a screaming Dukemon away with the shockwave that came with it.

"What kind of attack is that!" he cried out as his battered body was flung bodily like a discarded rag doll away from the D-Reaper and the explosion that encompassed it. The pain that surged through his body's every limb seemed to intensify ten-fold and Dukemon thought his back broke when the heavy armoured body made contact with the cold hard ground. While he was surely exaggerating the severity, he knew it could not be far off as the pain was so incredible that he could hardly move a muscle.

Dukemon laid there and let the pain fade to more manageable levels before he cracked his eyes open again, staring at the alien sky of the world he was in. A shadow flicked through his vision, coming and going too quickly for him to discern details. However, a sharp flash of light reflected on the shadow, causing Dukemon to wince in pain again as a headache materialised from abruptness of the flash and he squeezed his eyes shut.

When he at last opened them again, he was faced with what he thought to be a gigantic humanoid bee, the yellow stripes on the black so bright to his eyes that he almost squeezed his eyes shut again due to their brightness.

"I didn't realise that there were other Megas who survived save the three of us," the humanoid bee commented nonchalantly in a conversational tone. However, Dukemon could tell that the digimon was still on high alert given how often his head turned to scan the area and how his eyes always seemed to lock on the D-Reaper's direction. Dukemon wondered what the digimon meant and voiced it out loud.

"Ah, then you must be a recent survivor who had evolved into this stage. I do not care to figure out how you did so, but your presence might be helpful to us," the digimon concluded, his words as cryptic as his initial ones. Still, Dukemon's ears propped up at the mention of help and he used his spear to force himself to his feet.

The humanoid bee offered no assistance, only continuing to glare at the D-Reaper's direction with what Dukemon thought to be disgust.

"Do you know that other Mega?" The digimon asked after Dukemon had stumbled unsteadily to his feet.

"Yes," he gasped seeing the digimon pointing to Justimon. He leaned on his lance as he tried to shake off the giddiness and splitting headache from the battering his body had taken.

"So, can you ask for his aid to work with us? We may have a plan."

"'Us'?" Dukemon asked out of reflex.

"Yes," the digimon replied. "Us. Me and my allies."

"Who's 'us' exactly?" Dukemon proceeded to see elaboration, looking around for the 'us' he was referring. All he saw was plains, plains and the D-Reaper.

"_Wait, what's that?"_ Guilmon asked inside of Dukemon.

Squinting his eyes, Dukemon spotted what seemed to be the same shadow that he saw before attacking the D-Reaper with a _sword_. That somehow seemed simultaneously jaw-dropping and hilarious at the same time, though Dukemon expressed neither.

"So, will you aid us then?" the digimon asked, not answering his question, "You can go about doing whatever it is that you do after we have dealt with the Chaos. Is that agreeable?"

Dukemon tore his eyes from the simultaneously magnificent and impossible sight of a digimon slashing at the digital blob and turned back to the yellow and black stripped digimon. "Okay then."

The digimon nodded in response. "I don't know if you have data analysis capabilities, but as a note, you can call me by my species name, TigerVespamon. I would say it is a pleasure, except the occasion is far from pleasant."

Dukemon did not have, of course, 'data analysis capabilities', as TigerVespamon termed it. However, Takato realised he recognised the digimon from the card game. It was one of the newer cards that were recently released. He just didn't link the two until TigerVespamon mentioned his name. Logical, given that he was dealing with a killer of a headache at the moment.

"_So, who is this guy?_ Ryo's voice called out in Dukemon's head, spiking yet another headache, though more subtle, just as Justimon landed right beside Dukemon. Justimon then straightened up and stared down TigerVespamon. To his credit, TigerVespamon didn't flinch.

"He's here to help," Dukemon replied out loud, more for the benefit of TigerVespamon. "He calls himself TigerVespamon."

Justimon nodded in response. "So, do you know that guy who's busy attempting suicide?" Justimon asked, jerking a thumb towards the figure with the sword.

TigerVespamon nodded. "Sadly, I do," TigerVespamon confirmed, offering no other elaboration. "So, you will help then, Justimon?"

Justimon simply nodded, not asking any questions about this unknown digimon who suddenly popped out of nowhere and asked for help. However, if this digimon and his friend had actually been the ones who released that ridiculously large attack that was no doubt supposed to have done an equally ridiculously large amount of damage, Dukemon did not want to get on their bad side. So, Dukemon hoped that this temporary alliance with TigerVespamon would last beyond this battle.

"Good then," TigerVespamon said. "I have a plan."

* * *

_**:. **_**Real World - Japan, Tokyo, Tokyo Metropolitan Towers Main Control Room**

Why didn't he think of it sooner?

Yamaki felt like someone had pulled the rug from under him when Shibumi pointed out something that he did not notice that would have taken any serial drama fan only seconds to. That may have well been due to the fact that he did not follow such dramas or the _government conspiracies_ some tended to have. Not to mention that he was himself government, thus perhaps inducing some bias. Of course, all this had reeked of the intervention of the higher ups. However, Yamaki had forgotten to take into account that a few years ago, the existence of digimon had been largely an unknown. Naturally, the government would have wanted to know more about these unknowns. And, who would be more familiar than the creator of the digimon merchandise himself?

So, if Yamaki followed this line of thought, it was highly probable that kid was 'extracted' by the higher ups to 'enquire' about the digimon. Then, the entire cast of the digimon show would have likely been 'extracted' as well, just on the _possibility_, however small, of them knowing anything about the digimon.

They may not have disappeared to the Digital World that had been shown in the show, as Yamaki initially believed. They might have disappeared altogether due to the fear of the unknown that _this world_ had.

If so, if so…

Then they would have hit a dead end at this junction.

Yamaki let out a sigh. After all, if it was a dead end, there may be no point in chasing this lead anymore. Even though there was still a possibility that the Chosen Children may be at their Digital World that was depicted in the show, like he had initially thought, that probability itself was far too small.

_Just when we thought we would learn something new about the digimon and the world that they live in, it ends up that this chance was crushed by our own destructive hands._

Yamaki was pulled from his thoughts by a hand touching his own, and looked up to see Shibumi staring at him. Frowning, he lowered his gaze to Shibumi's hand, about to ask why the latter had placed his hand on his own, when he realised that Shibumi had stopped his hand from clicking his lighter. He must have subconsciously begun clicking his lighter again without really thinking about it.

"It is a bad habit, you know," Shibumi noted, smiling slightly. "I should know. I have a fair few myself, even though I am trying to break free of them."

"Yeah, I do know," Yamaki replied, putting the lighter back into his pocket, only to feel the Digivice that Impmon's Tamers had given him. An idea then struck him, one so brilliant that he was quite annoyed that he didn't think of it sooner. It was risky, but quite workable. He must have been preoccupied with the wild goose chase that the Chosen Children had presented to him. However, the latter was no excuse to have chucked aside the matter of the Digivice inside his pocket.

_While she did intend for it to be given to Impmon _after_ he returned, there's nothing wrong with getting it to him _before_ he returned. _

"What is it?" Shibumi asked, reading him somehow even though he should have not given off any physical ques. "You seem to have something on your mind."

"That's right. I have an idea," Yamaki said, putting in the lighter and in turn taking out the digivice. "However, I don't know whether it'll work."

"Then let's hear it. What is it?"

Smirking, Yamaki told Shibumi of the Digivice in his pocket and what he intended to do, as well as how he thought it could be done.

"Basically, I think we can use the data packets that you used that time to send messages to the digimon. Except this time, we send this digivice instead to Impmon. That might help considerably. After all, if I recall the data correctly, Impmon apparently cannot digivolve without the aid of his Tamers."

Even as he told Shibumi of his idea, he saw the glaring holes that needed to be addressed to ensure a higher probability of success, which Shibumi proceeded to voice out.

"Well, that _is_ a good idea," Shibumi said, holding a hand to his chin, his tone slightly sceptical. "However, the question is _how _do you plan to do that? After all, this is an actual solid device," as he said so, he plucked the digivice from Yamaki's hands and hefting it as if to prove his point. "Not like the data which could be recorded in the studio that we sent. In order to put this in a data packet and send it, we would need to digitise it somehow."

"That's simple. We can use the portal. We would be able to track it properly from here if we can install the relevant programs from the server. I'm sure one of the digital trackers which we used to use for Wild Ones will suffice."

"Well, that can be done," Shibumi responded, his tone still sceptical but slightly less so. "What about getting it to Impmon then? I don't think that we can get it to him effectively, even with using the digivice's tracking properties. After all, it is far too hard to use that complicated program for a data packet. The digivice itself, if we could digitise it, would already be allocated much of the data packet's memory."

Yamaki had thought of a solution to that while Shibumi was still talking. "That's simple. We can add the program for tracking DRAGOON. Impmon would likely be nearby after all. I'm sure that it would be easier to simplify and place into the data packet as well."

Shibumi considered the plan for a few moments. "Still, it is a very risky move. After all, we may lose the digivice if this goes wrong in anyway. We aren't even sure that this would work."

"We have a problem, boss!" Tally suddenly called from above. "We just lost all contact with DRAGOON and the Tamers! Riley thought it was a system problem at first, but we double-checked and found that there was nothing wrong with the system. There's something going on and we're cut off!"

Yamaki nodded to her to let her know that he heard and turned to Shibumi. "Perhaps you're right, Mr Mizuno. However, I don't think that we have much of a choice. The kids are in danger. I think the potential loss of one digivice may be worth it if this actually works."

Shibumi, still holding the digivice, considered Yamaki's words. "Well, I wanted to make sure that you knew what you were doing and the risks involved," Shibumi said, choosing his words with care. "If you already know and still wish to proceed with it, then you know that we'll do our very best to make this work."

Yamaki nodded. "Please do."

* * *

_**:**_**. Digital Plane – Sovereign Plane Ruins of Zhuqiaomon's Palace **

"Is _that_ your plan?" the Justimon asked TigerVespamon with obvious sarcasm, gesturing over to the purple Virus Mega smashing the Lord's holy weapon against the Chaos like it was just disposable sword. "Because if so, it doesn't work very well."

"No," TigerVespamon hissed with irritation. "That is not _my_ plan. I can't very well say the same for Darkdramon over there. He is truly a burden sometimes."

"Sounds like you don't get along very well," the Justimon said coolly. TigerVespamon glared at Justimon through his visor for a moment before putting the latter on his blacklist.

The Dukemon also glared at the Justimon, as though to impart a similar message, before turning to him. "So, what is it?"

TigerVespamon nodded to the Dukemon before starting to explain.

"While Darkdramon remains busy with distracting the Chaos," TigerVespamon begun, waving a hand at the aforementioned digimon. "We can use the sword I'm carrying to drive through the Chaos' outer layer into its inner one. Inside, we should be able to find the core and destroy it."

"Hold it there," Justimon interrupted. "For one thing, none of our attacks can pierce the outer skin or deal any damage at all. What makes you think that your sword will do any different? Furthermore, what makes you think that there will be a core inside at all?"

TigerVespamon felt his irritation rise at this digimon and pushed the Justimon further down his blacklist and up his execute-as-soon-as-possible list. He wished that he could get rid of him now, but every Mega would be useful as another distraction for the Chaos while they attempted to get close. He could just hope that this Mega was deleted in the upcoming battle or delete him personally later. With the Lord's weapon, it should be easy.

"Well, as an answer to your first question," TigerVespamon explained, clamping down on his irritation for the moment. "This weapon is not like any other weapon. It'll take too long to explain, but trust me in that it _will_ penetrate the outer layer."

While it was partially true that it would take slightly long to explain (particularly about how the Saviour came about, and as a consequence, his sword) to a digimon out of the loop, it was more because TigerVespamon did not feel like explaining it to someone he already considered beneath him and a pest.

In fact, the Justimon's next words boosted him even higher up the execution list.

"Indeed, I am finding it _very_ easy to trust you now."

The Dukemon glared at the Justimon again, but the latter simply shrugged. The Justimon was clearly enjoying this.

"It is not like _you_ have another plan. If you do, let's hear it," TigerVespamon said, smirking.

"I'm trying to provide constructive criticism," the Justimon said, shrugging yet again.

TigerVespamon snorted and returned to the explanation of his plan. "As for the core, all digimon and digital life have cores, even something as disgusting as the Chaos. It is your Elementary 101. However, from what I have heard, the Chaos has a more…material form for its core. As destroying the core would result in the structural collapse of its entire body, we will be able to cripple the Chaos by doing as such. Furthermore, since it has a material form, it would make it all the more easier as it can be deleted by anyone at all and not just digimon with data deletion abilities."

"From what you've heard?" the Justimon snorted, his tone mocking, seeming to focus on the subtle stuff in his words and ignoring the rest.

"He is a reliable source," TigerVespamon replied in a monotone. He wished he could but it would be too time-consuming to explain to this half-brain the Saviour's exploits and his first-hand experience in dealing with the Chaos. Sides, TigerVespamon had little desire to do so anyway, as the Saviour didn't need another half-wit to deal with after all. "You just worry about what you need to do inside the Chaos. I'll worry about getting you in."

"Whatever you say," Justimon shrugged. "What do you mean by 'you' though?"

However, TigerVespamon didn't get a chance to reply as Dukemon interjected. "Justimon, please stop wasting time. Have you forgotten?" Dukemon said with a hint of anger in his words, his pose suggesting he would like nothing more than to club his spear over the Justimon's head. The Justimon fell silent.

"Well, by 'you', I meant 'us'," TigerVespamon said, annoyed, though he was still enjoying the moment. He had a feeling that Dukemon did not like Justimon much as well, but had probably put up with him due to the power he wielded as a Mega. Still, it was clear who was in charge here. Justimon must be a subordinate of sorts. TigerVespamon vaguely wondered just who this Dukemon was leading if this was so. He had not spoken much, so it was hard to tell.

"Hmm… it seems like a good plan," Dukemon finally said. TigerVespamon was glad that the Dukemon was agreeable, but waited for the inevitable rebuttal from the Justimon.

And sure enough: "I don't think so."

TigerVespamon turned to Justimon. "Well, if you're so good, you have a better idea?" TigerVespamon repeated. These kinds of digimon probably argued just for the sake of arguing, but never really contribute anything.

Thus, TigerVespamon was quite surprised when the Justimon actually nodded. "Well, for one thing, we don't need to pierce in from the outside. If what you say is correct, then all we need to do is get in, right?"

"That is correct," TigerVespamon said, feeling his irritation rising.

"Well, then all we need to do is to let the Chaos –as you call it– capture us," Justimon finished in a matter-of-fact tone.

"What do you mean?" TigerVespamon said in exasperation.

"'The Chaos' had captured Zhuqiaomon and some of our friends already," Justimon said, his words causing TigerVespamon to prick up his ears. "So, if you're right, then after getting captured, it should be easier to pierce its inner layer to its core, though I really don't see how that'll work, given that even a Sovereign like Zhuqiaomon is still stuck in there and he is more powerful than all of us combined."

TigerVespamon smirked, but it was blocked from view by his faceplate. "Well, trust me when I say this sword has abilities that not even the Sovereigns can match. It'll do what it needs to do. Although I will agree with you in that I believe that getting inside your way first before heading towards the core is a good idea," he grudgingly admitted.

"I'll believe it when I see it," Justimon said, disbelieving.

_Oh you will see, alright. You will see._

_

* * *

_

"I'll believe it when I see it," Justimon said, putting as unconvinced a tone as he could muster.

"_Ryo, please, can you just be nicer?"_ Takato said inside Justimon's head for what seemed to be umpteenth time for the past few minutes. _"He is offering us his aid!"_

Ryo already knew that. However, Ryo just could not find a way to trust this guy the way Takato was doing when his instincts were screaming an alert at him. Following his instincts had kept him in one piece for years already. He was not going to stop anytime soon.

Thus, he tried his best to remain objective of the plans of this 'TigerVespamon', not accepting everything he told them at face value or trying to find loopholes in anything that the Mega was saying. It was going to be hard for Takato to do the same should he learn of Ryo's suspicions, given how Takato could not act or put on a false front at all. Should Takato enter a game of poker, the other players would read him like an open book flipping its own pages and screaming the words written on it.

_Okay, maybe that's over-exaggerating. Still, the point stands. So, I can't tell Dukemon anything. _

As a result, to Takato, Ryo just seemed more an ass than ever before to what he probably perceived as an ally. Since Ryo did not provide any explanation for such whatsoever, Takato just pleaded with him to be nicer or not so harsh. Ryo tried. He really did. Of course, it was probably not nice enough.

"_We need his help to save the others!"_ Takato continued in anguish. _"And why aren't you telling him about them?"_

That was actually because he did not want to trust this guy too much. Telling this guy as such would mean he had a hold over them, which would not be good should he end up not being as nice a guy as he portrayed himself to be. Furthermore, while Takato probably forgot the previous attack on them not too long ago in the heat of battle, Ryo had not. Someone had attacked them. There was thus a possibility that this guy was with them or maybe even in charge. It was better to thus keep mum about the troubles of their friends.

Of course, with so much to keep quiet about, Ryo requested that Takato keep silent, albeit in not very nice terms then, due to the urgency of the situation. After all, Takato was a motor mouth that could potentially say something that would put them in jeopardy. Ryo was, however, surprised that Takato had agreed to his request, even with the frustration that he was probably facing right now.

Thus, this resulted in him shouting his protests through the 'wireless connection' that they shared.

"_I have my reasons, Takato. Just trust me,"_ Ryo told the boy simply.

"_Are you ever going to tell me?"_ Takato sighed.

"_Perhaps later, after all of this is over."_

"_I'll hold you to your word then,"_ Takato said, and then the connection fell silent.

However, Takato was right about the stuff he mentioned earlier. They needed this guy's help to deal with the D-Reaper, or, as TigerVespamon called it, the Chaos. Ryo was careful to use the term he used, which he had heard used before by other digimon to describe the D-Reaper.

For some reason, his instincts were telling him to keep up the illusion that they were native digimon. He was not completely sure why. While he had several speculations, that were all they were.

_Just speculations._

Regardless, this was what he had chosen to do. All he could do now was stick with it and see where this was headed.

And then, make another choice from there.

So, for now…

"Well, what are we waiting for then? Time for the D-, I mean, Chaos to grab a snack."

"_Ryo? Why do you call the D-Reaper Chaos?"_ Guilmon asked suddenly.

Ryo just smiled.

* * *

**Actually, I never really had plans to continue this fic until I finished the others. Or at the very least, Mystery. However, when it came down to writing my chapters, I found that this one was the easiest to do, though it of course does not mean any decrease in quality (hopefully).**

**So, the title was sort of tribute to that fact, and then some. Regardless, it seems now that the only time I can find to actually type anything would be during the bus rides home, which I have found to have granted me the focus to write I have seemingly misplaced all these months. Life's still as heretic as usual, but I hope that this helps to show to everyone that I am far from dead and am still updating, despite the disgustingly slow rate (which I too don't like). **

**Hopefully, after the end year examinations, I can finally get to work to continuing all my fics again, properly. Meanwhile, I shall do my best to sneak in a few hundred words every bus ride that I can. Who knows, maybe I might get another chapter out within the month or so. **

**So, apologies to everyone. I know that my apologies don't make up for anything, but I hope this chapter in some way does, however little. So, I wish thanks to all who have stayed throughout (special mention to Crazyeight, who has to beta read all my inconsistent chapters) and the new ones who keep coming everyday. **

**Okay, now, actually, I added Ryo's scene at the back rather than putting it at the head of the next chapter because I thought that some people might be wondering why Ryo was acting the way he was, which is not shown from TigerVespamon's point of view. Also, I think it is probably a tradition now to add one scene from back on Earth into every chapter. As another note, for those that don't understand what Yamaki is referring to when he mentioned the data packets bit, go check out the CD Drama (which has been translated by Onkei-kun): ****[.com/2009/06/24/os-message-in-the-packet/]****. In fact, you can check out all the digimon related stuff translated by Onkei-kun as well if you haven't.  
**

**Right then, hope you'll review! Oh, and I never really asked for content of review before, but I hope you will help me point out any spelling errors that I and Crazyeight missed as well as any advice you would have for future chapters, not to mention any ideas you wish to contribute. God knows I need more inspiration. **

**Until next time then!**


End file.
